Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
U.S. forces seized around 2,500 pounds of cocaine and 105 pounds of marijuana in two separate maritime operations involving foreign nations.
In one operation, the Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) South and the Drug Enforcement Administration identified a drug runner from Colombia transporting narcotics. Forces from the Dominican Republic interdicted the vessel, while USS Billing secured the jettisoned cargo, JIATF South said in a May 12 post on X. Around 326 kilograms (approx. 718 pounds) of cocaine and 105 pounds of marijuana were prevented from entering American communities.
Earlier, in a May 7 X post, JIATF South said that forces from Panama intercepted a vessel near the city of Colon on May 1 under the guidance of the task force. The Panamanian forces fired warning shots, detained two smugglers, and took custody of 799 kilograms (approx. 1,761 pounds) of cocaine.
JIATF leverages its member nations’ capabilities to identify and monitor drug trafficking activity in maritime and air domains. The task force aims to interdict and seize illicit narcotics to disrupt their shipments, and diminish or destroy the transnational criminal organizations running these activities.
In a May 5 statement, the United States Coast Guard said it had interdicted a drug vessel off the coast of Haiti together with the United States Navy, taking into custody roughly 3,200 pounds of marijuana valued at roughly $3.8 million. One person was taken into custody and transferred to Haitian authorities.
Eighty percent of “interdictions of U.S.-bound drugs occur at sea. This underscores the importance of maritime interdiction in combatting the flow of illegal narcotics and protecting American communities from this deadly threat,” the Coast Guard said.
“Detecting and interdicting illicit drug traffickers on the high seas involves significant interagency and international coordination.”
According to a March 2024 post by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the short-term physiological effects of cocaine intake include higher body temperature and heart rate, dilated pupils, constricted blood vessels, and increased blood pressure. People may feel paranoid, irritated, restless, and experience muscle twitches and vertigo.
“Regularly snorting cocaine can lead to loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds, problems with swallowing, hoarseness, and an overall irritation of the nasal septum leading to a chronically inflamed, runny nose. Smoking crack cocaine damages the lungs and can worsen asthma,” the post said.
“Cocaine damages many other organs in the body. It reduces blood flow in the gastrointestinal tract, which can lead to tears and ulcerations. Many people who use cocaine chronically lose their appetite and experience significant weight loss and malnourishment. Cocaine has significant and well-recognized toxic effects on the heart and cardiovascular system. Chest pain that feels like a heart attack is common and sends many people who use cocaine to the emergency room.”
Other risks include stroke, seizure, bleeding in the brain, neurological problems, and Parkinson’s disease.
As for marijuana, short-term effects include anxiety, sleepiness, confusion, and an impaired ability to concentrate and remember. If marijuana is smoked, then blood vessels can be damaged. People may also hallucinate and suffer from paranoia, according to a March 2024 post by Health Canada.
Long-term effects include harm to memory, intelligence, and the ability to think and make decisions. The lungs may suffer from infections, bronchitis, and increased mucus buildup. Effects tend to be worse if marijuana use started during early adolescence.
The Trump administration has taken various legal actions against drug traffickers.
On May 13, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced that two illegal immigrants and two convicted felons were sentenced to prison for being part of an international drug trafficking and money laundering group whose operations stretched from Atlanta to Mexico.
The four accused were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five years and five months to 15 years.
“These defendants forfeited their freedom by choosing to poison our community and enrich narco-terrorists abroad,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said.
In March, a 26-year-old Mexican national illegally residing in Houston was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.