Brian Silber Law

Civil Forfeiture Attorney

Free Initial Consultation

(954) 462-3636

Show the Way

$300 Million in Drugs Seized, Dropped Off in Port Everglades

By

spencer-300x200As part of a series of patrols fighting transnational organized crime operations around Mexico and South America, the US Coast Guard seized over $300 million worth in cocaine and heroin. The drugs were collected by multiple Coast Guard cutters patrolling the waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

The drugs were offloaded on Tuesday, November 14th as the US Coast Guard Cutter Spencer returned from its 3-month voyage to the Pacific.

Seven separate US Coast Guard patrols contributed to the massive haul of drugs interdicted from fourteen different drug smuggling vessels:

  • Coast Guard Cutter (CGC) Spencer was responsible for two cases, seizing about 3,000 kg of cocaine.
  • CGC Thetis was responsible for one case, seizing about 1,000 kg of cocaine.
  • CGC Vigorous was responsible for one case, seizing about 1,150 kg of cocaine.
  • CGC Aspen was responsible for one case, seizing about 100 kg of cocaine.
  • CGC Alert was responsible for six cases, seizing about 3,300 kg of cocaine and 23 kg of heroin.
  • CGC James was responsible for two cases, seizing about 700 kg of cocaine.
  • CGC Steadfast was responsible for one case, seizing about 950 kg of cocaine.

In the end, it was the Boston-based CGC Spencer that collected the drugs from the different cutters and hauled them off to Port Everglades. Cdr. John Mctamney, commanding officer of the CGC Spencer, spoke about the importance of the effort:

“This offload today is not just the result of one unit, but the combined efforts of multiple Coast Guard cutters, aircraft and support, as well as that of our partners and allied men and women who continue to work day and night to stop these criminal organizations from profiting off transnational crime and smuggling. While this offload represents approximately 10 tons of illicit drugs that will never hit our streets, it also represents a significant depletion to the cash flow to these criminal organizations.”

According to Coast Guard officials, the US and its allies have increased their presence in the Eastern Pacific Ocean as well as in the Caribbean Basin, which are major drug transit zones for cartels operating out of Central and South American countries.

Cdr. Mctamney also spoke about the difficulties of moving against drug smugglers at sea, saying that “we’re launching the helicopter, we’re launching small boats from the cutter and we’re maneuvering towards a vessel which is typically not lit at all with the required navigation lights and is trying to evade us at a high rate of speed.”

The CGC Spencer stayed busy in other ways during its 90-day voyage before returning its 100-person crew (13 officers and 87 enlisted personnel) to Boston, the Spencer’s home base. It also participated in the 2017 Arctic Guardian Search and Rescue (SAR) Exercise in Reyjkavik, Iceland. Eight Arctic nations also participated in the exercises to hone best practices for potential multi-national search and rescue responses in the Arctic region.

Civil Asset Forfeiture Attorney

If your lawful property has been seized, then you should hire a lawyer. Contact us to set up a free initial consultation and work with one of Florida’s most experienced civil forfeiture defense attorneys.

Sources:

Coast Guard offloads about $300 million worth of cocaine, heroin in Port Everglades

USCG Cutter Spencer return to Boston following 3-month narcotic patrol

Jean Nicolas Crashes Tanker, Spills Thousands of Gallons of Fuel at Port Everglades, Florida

By

Port-Everglades-Oil-Spill-300x169Jean Nicolas, who was driving a tanker owned by MGM Transport, crashed his vehicle as he was leaving Port Everglades on the night of March 2.

The fully-loaded tanker spilled nearly 9,000 gallons of fuel in front of a storage facility near Terminal 18. The exact cause of the accident is still unclear.

After the tanker rolled over, Nicolas, who was trapped in the cabin, managed to get out by breaking the back window and crawling to safety. He did not suffer any serious injuries, but was taken to Broward Health Medical Center for treatment of some bruises and cuts.

According to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the tanker was holding 6,700 gallons of gasoline and 2,100 gallons of diesel when it left the port. The crash caused the vehicle to roll over and left it upside down. In that position, the opening at the top of the tanker managed to leak a lot of fuel.

Some of the fuel reportedly made its way into a storm drain and the coastal waterway. Ellen Kennedy, a Port Everglades spokeswoman, confirmed to news sources that the fuel did go into the water, but authorities don’t know how much. She said the spill is contained and is being cleaned up.

The crash occurred near a fire station. Reports say more than 50 fire rescue workers responded to the scene including the U.S. Coast Guard, Broward Fire Rescue, Broward Sheriff’s Office, and fire rescue crews from Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale.

Rescue crews used fire retardant foam to blanket the spill and keep it from igniting. They then shored up the tanker and cut holes in it to remove any fuel leftover after the spill. Despite their efforts, a lot of the fuel still seeped into the asphalt and some of it went down a storm drain across the street, potentially contaminating the area’s soil and water.

The Coast Guard reportedly put a boom in the water to keep the fuel from spreading further into the sea. Wildlife officials are also out on the water moving large sea animals like manatees and sea turtles out of the area as the water cleanup continues. So far, the region’s wildlife doesn’t appear to have been affected.

Port Everglades remained open and operations have not been affected in any of the terminals, except for Terminal 18 where the crash occurred. The Celebrity Equinox, which was supposed to dock at the terminal, was instead sent to Terminal 25.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management is still investigating the cause of the crash.

Source: 3.7.17 Nicolas Fuel Tanker Leak.pdf

Fort Lauderdale Woman Suffers Head Injury After Falling Off Ladder at Port Everglades

By

Port Everglades AccidentA Port Everglades worker from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was injured on November 25 while climbing up a ladder on a cargo ship docked at Terminal 4. According to Broward fire rescue spokesperson Mike Jachles, the worker is a 59-year-old woman who reportedly fell when a rung on a vertical ladder gave out.

The woman, whose name has not been released to the public, fell ten feet onto one of the highest points of the superstructure and injured her head. A rescue team had to strap her on to an immobilization board before taking her to Broward Health Medical Center for treatment.

This is the third accident to occur at Port Everglades in less than two months. On October 10, Luisa Anderson of Miami Gardens was killed when her golf cart crashed into a “yard mule” driven by Theoplous Wright of Fort Lauderdale. A yard mule is a truck that moves cargo containers from docks to storage areas.

Anderson, 40, was a cargo company supervisor. She was driving her cart through a four-way intersecting path in Sun Terminals shipping yard when Wright, 55, crashed into her vehicle. Anderson was ejected and run over by the yard mule.

Anderson Port Everglades AccidentBroward Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Joy Oglesby told news sources that the four-way intersecting path where the accident occurred is not regulated by any traffic control devices. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the incident.

Another accident was reported at Port Everglades on the same day Anderson died. It involved an unnamed longshoreman who works for Florida International Terminal. The longshoreman was injured when his yard mule crashed into a crane, causing the truck to fall on its side. He was taken to Broward Health Medical Center for treatment.

Sources: 11.25.16 Port Everglades Accident.pdf and 10.11.16 Anderson Port Everglades Accident.pdf