Over 3,500 pounds of cocaine seized by the Coast Guard in the Caribbean will be offloaded in Miami Beach Friday.
The cocaine was intercepted by crewmembers of the Cutter Northland, a 270-foot boat that has been used for 27 years by the Coast Guard.
A 110-foot cutter called Pea Island also assisted in the interdiction.
The cocaine was spotted by the cutter’s helicopter crew on a 35-foot go-fast vessel with four crewmembers aboard, the Coast Guard said.
The cocaine was contained in 54 bales valued at more than $43 million, according to the Coast Guard.
The drug interception was part of Operation Martillo, which is an international effort to stop illicit trafficking by sharing information.
"I am extremely proud of everyone who contributed to making this successful interdiction in the early hours of the morning, and in less than perfect weather conditions,” Coast Guard Cmdr. Dale V. Shepardson said in a statement. “More importantly, the crew feels proud that they took a large quantity of drugs off the streets, and that they successfully completed the mission we were sent out to do."
The coast guard also recently seized almost 5,000 pounds of marijuana and cocaine from the coasts of Honduras and Jamaica in February.
