Coast Guard Delivers 2 Tons Of Seized Cocaine To St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Nearly two tons of cocaine seized from smugglers was unloaded by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Tampa and delivered into the hands of law enforcement officials this morning, Friday, Feb. 2.

The cocaine, valued at more than $46 million, was seized from four vessels in the Caribbean Sea between Dec. 20 and 22 as part of a two ongoing operations designed to put a major dent in the cocaine trade.

On Dec. 20, the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier and Coast Guard Cutter Heriberto Hernandez, homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico, seized more than 1,800 pounds of cocaine.

The remainder was seized Dec. 22 by the Coast Guard's Tactical Law Enforcement Team South deployed aboard HNLMS Van Speijk, a Royal Netherlands Navy ship operating in the Caribbean.

"This offload represents nearly two tons of illicit drugs that will never hit our streets," said Cmdr. Nick Simmons, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Tampa. "This is the result of the combined efforts of our partners and allied men and women who continue to work day and night to stop these criminal organizations from profiting off transnational crime and smuggling."

Operation Unified Resolve is a combined effort between the U.S. Coast Guard and international partners in the Caribbean to deter and interdict vessels smuggling drugs and illegal migrants to the United States.

Operation Martillo is Joint Interagency Task Force South-led multi-national detection, monitoring and interdiction operation conducted by U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection vessels and aircraft in cooperation with the cooperation of Central and South America, Canada, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Tampa made port just in time to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its namesake. The 270-foot medium-endurance cutter based in Portsmouth, Virginia, is the fourth Coast Guard cutter to bear the name "Tampa," in honor of the USS Tampa that was sunk by a German U-Boat during World War I.

The crew will participate in the dedication of a mural commemorating the 100th anniversary of sinking of the original cutter at the Tampa Bay History Center in Tampa on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 10 a.m.

Photos by USCG Petty Officer 1st Class Michael De Nyse