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Coast Guard offloads nearly $74M of cocaine in South Florida

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Published  July 30, 2025 7:42am EDT
Florida
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • U.S. Coast Guard crews offloaded nearly 10,000 pounds of cocaine at Port Everglades on Tuesday.
    • Officials say the drugs were seized about 120 miles northwest of Ecuador on June 24.
    • The cocaine is valued at $73.7 million, according to the Coast Guard.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The U.S. Coast Guard says crews seized nearly 10,000 pounds of cocaine off the coast of South America and unloaded it in South Florida.

What we know:

USCG officials say crews intercepted the drugs, valued at $73.7 million, about 120 miles northwest of Ecuador on June 24.

The cocaine was then brought to Port Everglades, where the Coast Guard says crews offloaded it on Tuesday.

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Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard.

What they're saying:

"I couldn't be more impressed with the determination and teamwork displayed by this crew. They executed this interdiction with precision and professionalism," Cmdr. Nolan Cuevas, commanding officer of the Cutter Tahoma, said in a statement. "Behind every successful deployment is a dedicated team of logistics and support personnel. Their tireless efforts ensured we had the resources and maintenance support to operate. Our collective actions reaffirm the Coast Guard’s unwavering commitment to protecting our nation’s borders and the safety of our citizens."

What we don't know:

Officials did not release details on who may have smuggled the drugs or whether anyone is facing federal charges.

The Source: This story was written with information from the United States Coast Guard.

FloridaCrime and Public Safety