I'm curious.What becomes of the confiscated drugs like cocaine,marajuana etc.
Copied from another thread posted at the same time.
Kittery-based Coast Guard cutter seizes $29M in cocaine | SeacoastOnline.com
By Charles McMahon
cmcmahon@seacoastonline.com
September 06, 2012 6:35 AMMIAMI, Fla. — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Campbell, a 270-foot, medium-endurance cutter based in Kittery, Maine, helped thwart a Colombian drug smuggling ring in August, seizing an estimated $29 million in cocaine.
According to a prepared statement from the U.S. Coast Guard, the crew of the Campbell returned to Naval Station Mayport, Fla., on Wednesday to off load the approximately 2,420 pounds of cocaine.
The Campbell's homeport is the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
The crew interdicted a fast vessel while on patrol in the Caribbean Sea on Aug. 20, according to the prepared statement.
The crew of a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft initially detected four men aboard the suspicious 36-foot boat during a law enforcement patrol on the evening of Aug. 19, south of the Dominican Republic.
The Campbell was then diverted to interdict the vessel, while Dominican Republic navy authorities also responded with multiple marine units.
Coast Guard officials said the suspected smugglers attempted to flee as Dominican authorities closed in at the same time the crew of the Campbell deployed the cutter's small-boat crew.
After a two-hour chase by both the cutter and the small-boat crew, the suspect vessel was interdicted.
A boarding team from the Campbell then detained the four suspected drug smugglers and located 44 bales of contraband hidden inside the vessel.
Further testing revealed the contraband shipment to be a total of 2,420 pounds of cocaine, according to the prepared statement.
“This interdiction was a result of outstanding teamwork between responding U.S. and partner Dominican Republic law enforcement authorities,” said Cmdr. Kurt Virkaitis, commanding officer of the Campbell. “By combining our resources in a well-coordinated effort, we successfully prevented a large drug shipment from reaching U.S. shores and are bringing four suspected drug smugglers to justice.”
The crew of the Campbell took the 44 bales of cocaine to Mayport, Fla., Wednesday for transfer to federal Drug Enforcement Agency authorities.
