6 tons of cocaine seized

An estimated 12,000 pounds of cocaine arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Monday — but it won’t be making its way to the streets of South Florida, the U.S. or anywhere else.

The drugs, valued at more than $170 million, were seized from six boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean and were offloaded at Port Everglades, Coast Guard officials said.

The Coast Guard Cutters Tahoma, Tampa and Seneca intercepted the six suspected smuggling vessels between late July and August. There was no immediate word on the number of related arrests.

“The countless hours and long days spent by our crews to

stop these illegal smuggling operations is the embodiment of devotion to duty,” Tahoma Cmdr. Michael Sarnowski said in a statement.

Port Everglades is a frequent destination for Coast Guard drug seizures:

-- More than seven tons of cocaine worth $211 million were offloaded Aug.9.

-- Some six tons of cocaine

worth an estimated $180 million came in May 10.

-- About 12 tons of cocaine and one ton of marijuana valued at $400 million arrived April 24.

-- Over seven tons of cocaine worth about $190 million was brought in Feb. 13.

The agency has also offloaded drugs at other ports in Florida and around the U.S. in order to mark successes in the effort to disrupt the international drug trade. Typically, a small amount of drugs are preserved for purposes of legal evidence while the rest is turned over to federal authorities to be destroyed.

The Coast Guard increased the U.S. and allied presence in the Caribbean Basin and eastern Pacific Ocean as part of its Western Hemisphere Strategy because they are known drug transit zones off of Central and South America.