The South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force seized 993 kilograms of cocaine and arrested four individuals for drug trafficking following an at-sea interdiction April 7. The contraband has an estimated street value of more than $105 million.
The South Florida HIDTA Task Force consists of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami office and the agency’s attaché office in the Dominican Republic, as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Florida Highway Patrol.
The contraband, 37 bales of cocaine with a weight of 993 kilograms, was intercepted approximately 95 nautical miles south of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The four individuals detained in conjunction with the seizure are allegedly members of a drug trafficking organization responsible for the importation of multikilograms of cocaine to the United States through Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
“We focus our investigative and enforcement efforts to interdict these narcotic smuggling ventures long before they reach our shores,” said Robert C. Hutchinson, acting special agent in charge of HSI Miami. “We work very closely with our many law enforcement partners to achieve results, like last week’s seizure and arrests.”
The investigation is currently ongoing. If you have information to report, please contact HSI. via its toll-free tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.
