ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — U.S. Coast Guard crews said they offloaded drugs worth an estimated $115 million in their port in St. Petersburg.
The Coast Guard said the Cutter Resolute crew offloaded over 9,000 pounds of cocaine and over 5,000 pounds of marijuana.
The crew also transferred five suspected smugglers ashore to face federal prosecution by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Resolute's crew spent 38 days conducting a counter-illicit trafficking and security operation in the Caribbean, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. During their patrol, the Coast Guard said they positioned themselves to deny drug trafficking from Central and South America from reaching the U.S.
Early in their patrol, the crew launched two small boats to chase a boat for 40 nautical miles. With the help of a Dutch aircraft, the crew stopped the boat, forcing the smugglers to dump their contraband.
Two weeks later, the Resolute crew saw a suspicious sailboat traveling in the central Caribbean. They boarded the boat and found nearly 1,653 pounds of cocaine in a hidden compartment. The crew seized the drugs and detained the smugglers on board.
"I know that my daughter is not the only one going through this difficult time, but she is not a criminal," said Lourdes Martinez. "She does not deserve to be there."
A Sarasota family is shaken up after being separated from their daughter. Federal agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 22-year-old daughter, Maria Martinez. And now, they are demanding for her return.
