The cutter “Stone” delivered more than 20 tons of illegal drugs to the port of Port Everglades, which were seized as part of Operation Pacific Viper.
On Wednesday, the US Coast Guard unloaded the largest amount of drugs ever seized from a single vessel on patrol in the Port Everglades harbor. The crew of the “Stone” had seized around 22.2 tons of cocaine over the course of 15 missions in the Eastern Pacific – worth an estimated $362 million.
The cutter “Stone” is one of four “Legend”-class security vessels stationed in Charleston, South Carolina, under the command of the US Coast Guard in the Atlantic area.
“This discharge underscores our increased presence and continued success in the fight against drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations,” said Anne O’Connell, commanding officer of the Stone. “The Coast Guard, along with its interagency and international partners, continues to patrol areas in the eastern Pacific often associated with drug trafficking and deny smugglers access to the sea lanes they use to transport illicit drugs to U.S. land and sea borders.”
The operations are part of Operation Pacific Viper, which the Coast Guard is using to protect the USA “from the ongoing smuggling of illegal drugs from South America”, according to the statement. Illegal drugs are intercepted and confiscated at sea, with the aim of depriving criminal organizations of more than half a billion dollars in illegal revenue.
Not only drugs are seized during the operations: People are regularly killed when the boats used to smuggle them are sunk. The USA’s actions are therefore attracting international criticism; UN experts see a possible violation of international law.
