(NewsNation) — The U.S. Coast Guard has seized 25 tons of narcotics in what Attorney General Pam Bondi is calling a massive victory for the U.S.
Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel were in Florida on Wednesday to talk about the operation, saying it has saved the lives of Americans and protected the public.
“There is no lethal force on planet Earth that is responsible for an overdose death of an American citizen every seven minutes more so than these federal terrorist organizations,” Patel said.
The Coast Guard used drones, aircrafts, ships and surveillance technology in order to interdict the traffickers. The Justice Department said the drugs were tied to the CJNG and Sinaloa cartels.
A member of the Coast Guard who was part of the group that intercepted the drugs called it a personal mission.
“I get a really good feeling knowing that these drugs aren’t getting on to our streets,” USCG Officer Diego Alejandro Soto said. “I’ve had friends succumb to cocaine, it’s a personal mission because I’ve seen it happen firsthand.”
The shipment of drugs was intercepted off the coast of Peru, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
Bondi said 11 people were arrested in connection to the bust, and their cases will be prosecuted in the Middle District of Florida.
