Coast Guard Offloads More Than 1,000 Pounds and $20 Million Worth of Cocaine

The cocaine was recovered last month when officials spotted a suspicious vessel.

The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded 1,327 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated wholesale value of $20 million Saturday in Miami Beach.

The drugs were discovered on April 21, when an aircrew aboard a Coast Guard Air Station in Miami spotted a go-fast vessel southwest of the Dominican Republic with suspicious packages on board. The Coast Guard Cutter Spencer sent an armed helicopter and boat crew to intercept the vessel.

Coast Guard crews found 25 packages on board that later tested positive for cocaine.

Two suspected smugglers were taken into custody and transferred to law enforcement officials in Miami.

On Friday, the Coast Guard offloaded $3 million in marijuana and cocaine at the base in Miami Beach. The estimated 2,100 pounds of marijuana and 35 kilograms of cocaine were seized in two operations earlier this month in the Caribbean Sea and near the Bahamas.

Last week, the Coast Guard offloaded $1.9 million of marijuana in Miami Beach. About $110 million in cocaine was offloaded in April.

Officials said $22 million in marijuana and $1.8 billion in cocaine were recovered throughout the Caribbean in 2013.

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