U.S. Coast Guard announces largest drug offload in history, totaling nearly $500M at Florida port

MIAMI, Fla. - The U.S. Coast Guard announced its largest drug offload in history at Port Everglades in South Florida on Monday, totaling nearly $500 million of cocaine and marijuana.

By the numbers:

At a news conference, officials said crews offloaded 61,740 pounds of cocaine and 14,400 pounds of bulk marijuana – valued at a total of $473 million.

Rear Adm. Adam Chamie says the amount of cocaine intercepted at sea during the latest operation is enough for 23 million potentially lethal doses.

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What they're saying:

During Monday’s news conference, Chamie said the crew of USCGC Hamilton led the two-month operation at sea with the help of several other ships and agencies.

"These men and women put themselves in harm’s way time and again to stop the bad guys, apprehend the smugglers, and seize the drugs," Chamie said. "This is grueling and dangerous work and I’m extremely proud of them."

Chamie also said the Coast Guard is sending additional crews on the water and in the air to the Eastern Pacific in coordination with international and interagency partners.

Dig deeper:

U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe also spoke during Monday’s news conference, saying many of the vessels carrying drugs sailed from Venezuela.

"This is a haven for Tren de Aragua and Cartel de los Soles, organized crime gangs in Venezuela," Kehoe said. "These are foreign terrorist organizations responsible for bringing drugs and violence to the United States and they are a threat to our national security on a daily basis."