$18.5M worth of illegal drugs seized during US Coast Guard's Caribbean patrol

The United States Coast Guard says the crew of its Cutter Vigilant has returned home to Cape Canaveral in Florida after offloading more than 1,510 pounds of cocaine and 1,470 pounds of marijuana seized in the Caribbean Sea, with a combined value of about US$18.5 million.

The US Coast Guard said during the Vigilant's 54-day patrol, Coast Guard crews, working alongside interagency and international partners, seized the illegal drugs in the Caribbean Sea during two separate interdictions.

Along with the illicit narcotics, the US Coast Guard said 15 suspected smugglers were apprehended and will face prosecution in federal courts by the US Department of Justice.