The U.S. Coast Guard brought about $20.1 million worth of illegal drugs ashore at Miami Beach on Wednesday 2 July 2025 after stopping four smuggling attempts in the Caribbean Sea.[1] Crews seized about 2,200 pounds of cocaine and 3,300 pounds of marijuana, roughly 1,497 kilograms of cannabis, according to the agency’s news release.[1] The Coast Guard release quoted by Seapower puts the offload at approximately 2,220 pounds of cocaine and 3,320 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $20.1 million.[2]
The contraband came from four interdictions in the Caribbean Sea by the crews of the Canadian patrol ship HMCS William Hall and the Dutch patrol vessel HNLMS Friesland, each with Coast Guard law enforcement detachments aboard.[2] CBS12 reported that the drugs were found in joint operations with ships from Canada and the Netherlands, along with U.S. Navy and Coast Guard teams.[1] The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole, the Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement teams South and Pacific, and Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron Jacksonville were among the assets involved, according to the agency’s release.[2]
Cmdr. Brian Gismervik, commanding officer of the Northland, said stopping illicit narcotics from reaching U.S. shores was a team effort.[1] Joint Interagency Task Force-South in Key West detects and monitors illegal drug traffic by air and sea, and control of an operation passes to the Coast Guard under the Miami-based Seventh Coast Guard District once an interdiction is imminent.[2] The Northland is a 270-foot Reliance-class medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth under Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command.[2]
