A U.S. Navy destroyer transferred 245 kilograms (about 539 pounds) of seized contraband to the U.S. Coast Guard on June 11, according to a Navy press release. The contraband was originally recovered by the Royal Canadian Navy.
On June 9, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Cole received the illegal materials from the Canadian Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessel William Hall while operating in the Caribbean Sea.
Related posts
The contraband was later handed over to the USCG Cutter Vigorous (WMEC 627), a Reliance-class vessel, by the Cole’s embarked Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET), the release said.
LEDET units, created in 1982, operate under U.S. Northern Command and focus on enforcing maritime law through drug interdiction and other security missions.
LEDET personnel “perform vessel boardings, searches, and seizures in U.S. and international waters, targeting drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and transnational crime with a nexus to the U.S. southern border,” the release stated.
The Joint Interagency Task Force South first detected the movement of the illicit cargo, working alongside partner nations to monitor and intercept drug trafficking routes. The release did not disclose the specific contents of the contraband. An investigation is ongoing.
Since returning to office in January, President Donald Trump has prioritized boosting military presence at the U.S. southern border. His executive order, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” signed on January 20, expanded border support operations.
As of May, nearly 8,000 active-duty troops were stationed along the U.S.-Mexico border—up from about 2,500 during the Biden administration, according to the Defense Department.
The USS Cole, deployed under the Navy’s 4th Fleet, left Mayport, Florida, on June 5 to replace the destroyer USS Gravely. After completing its U.S. Northern Command mission, Gravely returned to its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, on June 9. The Navy had sent Gravely to the region on March 15 for drug interdiction efforts.
