Related video: The Coast Guard Cutter Resolute offloads approximately $55M worth of drugs in Tampa Bay.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier's crew offloaded 182 kilograms of cocaine, worth approximately $4.5 million on Friday.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the British Royal Navy HMS Trent worked with a Coast Guard LEDET to seize the drugs and apprehend the two Dominican Republic nationals in Puerto Rico.
“Drug smuggling organizations pose the greatest threat to the safety and health of our citizens,” DEA’s Caribbean Division Special Agent in Charge Denise Foster said. “The dedication of all maritime surveillance assets is crucial to the success of the mission at hand, we will continue to work with our counterparts and allocate all our law enforcement resources to make a greater impact in vulnerable areas where criminal organizations dedicated to drug trafficking are causing greater damage."
In Key West, the Joint Interagency Task Force South works to detect and monitor the transit of illegal drugs. Once detected, the Coast Guard takes over the interdiction and apprehension, under the authority of the Seventh District, located in Miami.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is continuing to investigate this incident.