(Associated Press) — Fort Lauderdale, Florida Pam Bondi, the Attorney General of the United States, made the announcement on Wednesday that around $510 million worth of illicit drugs had been seized from boats that were bound for the United States. The purpose of this announcement was to bring attention to the efforts that the government is making to dismantle sophisticated cartel drug networks.
Bondi made a trip to Florida in order to highlight the seizing of cocaine and marijuana by crews of the United States Coast Guard. She also brought attention to a crucial focus of the Trump administration, which is to pursue drug traffickers who are contributing to the addiction issue in the United States.
Bondi’s appearance at the south Florida port, where she stood in front of a Coast Guard ship and stacks of the drugs that were intercepted, highlights the efforts that the Trump administration is making to reshape the Justice Department in order to align it with the priorities of President Donald Trump, which are to crack down on violent crime, illegal immigration, and cartels.
According to Bondi, who said that the seizures had resulted to sealed indictments against 11 individuals, the traffickers were intercepted off the coast of Peru, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands using ships, planes, and drones. Bondi also stated that the seizures have led to the release of indictments.
It was reported by Bondi that detectives had established a connection between the shipments and two cartels, namely Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa. Bondi termed the seizures as a “major blow” to the financial operations of the cartels.
Bondi said that the actions of the Coast Guard sailors who were responsible for intercepting the narcotics “saved countless lives in the United States.” If this cocaine had been released, it would have been dispersed over the whole of our nation and maybe even the entire planet.
Jalisco New Generation and the Sinaloa cartel, which is Mexico’s oldest criminal group and is involved in the trafficking of drugs, weapons, and people, were among eight Latin American crime organizations that were designated as “foreign terrorist organizations” by the Trump administration in February. This decision enabled the administration to increase its pressure on cartels that operate in the United States as well as on anyone who provides assistance to these cartels.
Kash Patel, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, joined Bondi in Florida on Wednesday. “This administration has labeled them foreign terrorist organizations because that is what they are,” Patel said.
