The Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier offloaded more than 1,115 pounds of cocaine, valued at approximately $14.7 million, in San Juan last Thursday.
The drugs were seized in international waters of the Caribbean Sea during an operation involving a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement team deployed on a British Royal Navy ship, HMS Trent. The operation also involved collaboration with other interagency and international partners.
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“Another success within 24 hours of Trent’s return to counter-trafficking operations continues to demonstrate the utility of this class of ship to support such activity. It relies on the involvement of every member of my team, and they can be proud of another significant haul,” said Cmdr. Tim Langford, commanding officer of HMS Trent. “These interdictions are also reliant on the close working relationship that exists between the U.S. Coast Guard and my team, supported from ashore by the Joint Interagency Task Force-South.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office will prosecute three suspected smugglers for the District of Puerto Rico.
The U.S. Coast Guard, acting as a military service and a federal maritime law enforcement agency, has the authority to enforce laws on the high seas and within U.S. jurisdiction. Coast Guard law enforcement teams regularly work alongside U.S. and allied navies to interdict drug traffickers.
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This operation involved significant coordination between multiple agencies, including the Joint Interagency Task Force South, which monitors drug trafficking activity in the region. The U.S. Coast Guard’s Seventh District, based in Miami, oversaw the interdiction and apprehension.
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