MIAMI, United States (CMC) – The United States (US) Coast Guard says it has offloaded about 3,622 pounds of cocaine, valued at an estimated US$27 million, seized during two operations in the Caribbean Sea.

The drugs were brought ashore on Wednesday, along with four people who were detained during the operations.

The detainees were handed over to federal agents at Port Everglades, Florida, for further investigation, the coast guard said.

“The offload is from two interdictions resulting in the seizure of the illicit narcotics and the apprehension of four detainees in the Caribbean Sea,” the agency said. “Federal agents took custody of the four detainees, pending further investigation.”

Lieutenant John Colucci, commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter William Trump, said the operations were made possible through the combined efforts of Joint Interagency Task Force South, US Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard Southeast District and international partners across the Caribbean.

“I’m incredibly proud of the crew of CGC William Trump in their ability to carry out this high-risk mission in a safe, efficient and professional manner,” he added. “Their success directly prevented illicit narcotics from reaching our shores and disrupted the operations of transnational criminal organisations throughout the Western Hemisphere.”

The coast guard said the operation was part of its ongoing efforts to stop illegal drugs from reaching American communities and disrupt the criminal networks behind the trade.