FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and the U.S. Coast Guard held a press conference in Fort Lauderdale Wednesday morning, to discuss a significant drug seizure at Port Everglades.
The event showcased the offload of almost 45,000 pounds of cocaine and 3,800 pounds of marijuana, valued at more than $509 million.
“This is a textbook example of the Justice Department supporting the fight against violent crime,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
She said the Coast Guard targeted traffickers off the coast of Peru, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands.
“What they did saved countless American lives. This cocaine would have been distributed throughout our country and perhaps throughout our world,” Bondi said.
Eleven defendants will be prosecuted in the Middle District of Florida as a result of the bust. Bondi said, “These defendants will be held accountable for bringing this poison into our country.”
She said two cartels, CJNG and Sinaloa, are believed to be heavily tied to the shipments. “This is a major blow to their financial operations. The DOJ and all of the agencies involved will continue to dismantle this transnational criminal organization and keep our country safe.”
