ST PETERSBURG (CMC) — The United States (US) Coast Guard said the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Diligence, earlier this week, offloaded approximately 8,700 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated US$64.5 million in Florida.

It said the drugs were seized in the western Caribbean Sea.

The diligence is deployed in support of Joint Interagency Task Force–South (JITF-S) to the Coast Guard district southeast area of responsibility, where crew members intercepted more than 10,000 pounds of illicit narcotics, the US Coast Guard said.

“This joint effort helped us prevent more than four tons of illegal drugs from entering the United States,” said Commander Colin McKee. “While this offload marks another milestone in our efforts to counter narco-terrorism, the Coast Guard remains relentless in our operations to control, secure and defend US borders and maritime approaches.”

The US Coast Guard said the seized contraband was a result of two interdictions in the Caribbean Sea.

On August 7, it said Diligence’s crew detected and boarded a suspicious go-fast vessel approximately 136 miles southwest of Negril, Jamaica.

The US Coast Guard said Diligence’s boarding team intercepted the vessel, seizing 1,500 pounds of marijuana.

The contraband was transferred to and offloaded by Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton, as part of the largest quantity of drugs offloaded in Coast Guard history, in Port Everglades, Florida on August 25.

It was also disclosed that on September 6, a maritime patrol craft spotted a suspicious go-fast vessel approximately 240 miles north of Panama.

Diligence’s boarding team intercepted the vessel, seizing more than 8,700 pounds of cocaine. The cocaine was also offloaded by Diligence’s crew and transferred to case agents in St Petersburg.