PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WVEC) -- Portsmouth-based Coast Guard Cutter Legare seized cocaine and marijuana valued at more than $390 million, its public affairs office said in a release.
The crew seized 24,886 pounds of cocaine and 2,664 pounds of marijuana from suspected smugglers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The Legare crew seized the drugs from 17 suspected drug smuggling vessels, including a low-profile vessel and three panga-style fishing vessels, the release said.
There was a high-speed pursuit using the Coast Guard's Over the Horizon interceptor boat and an embarked Helicopter Interdiction Tactics Squadron aircrew, according to the release.
"What these numbers represent is an increased commitment by U.S. and international partners to combat transnational criminal networks and promote stability in the Central American region, along the U.S. southern border, and in the southern maritime approaches to the U.S.,” Coast Guard Cmdr. Jonathan Carter, Legare’s commanding officer, said.
"Legare's offload earlier this week sends the message that our network of partners and allies remains resolute in our commitment to stem the flow of illicit trafficking that breeds instability."
Cutter Legare’s crew worked with other Coast Guard units, the U.S. Navy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and international partners during this counter-drug operation.
The Cutter Legare was on a 67-day deployment to the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
