HMS Trent and US Coast Guard collaborates to seize cocaine worth US$4.5 million

HMS Trent and the US Coast Guard apprehended two Dominican Republic nationals and seized cocaine from a go-fast vessel, which was intercepted along the southwest coast of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, in the Caribbean Sea on the 3rd of March, 2024. Officials stated that the seizure is the result of interagency efforts which have supplemented the work done by the Coast Guard’s Western Hemisphere Strategy and more specifically, Operation Unified Resolve. Commander Gerard Wenk, who is the Chief of Response for Coast Guard Sector San Juan, stated the following, “We appreciate the work and collaboration of our British Royal Navy partners in stopping drug smuggling vessels in the high seas. The work we do together daily with our federal and local and regional partners helps protect and bring stability to the Caribbean region from this threat.” Denise Foster, DEA’s Caribbean Division Special Agent, stated the following, “Drug smuggling organisations pose the greatest threat to the safety and health of our citizens.” She added that, “The dedication of all maritime surveillance assets is crucial to the success of the mission at hand. We will continue to work with our counterparts and allocate all our law enforcement resources to make a greater impact in vulnerable areas where criminal organizations dedicated to drug trafficking are causing greater damage.”

According to US Coast Guard officials, Operation Unified Resolve has made a significant contribution to interagency collaborative work undertaken under the remit of Operation Caribbean Guard, which allows the US Coast Guard, US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as Commonwealth and Territorial law enforcement partners, to work together with shared goals in mind, thus achieving more together than they can separately.

These efforts are aimed at ensuring that these agencies and the significant resources at their disposal can be put to use in disrupting the drug trade and maritime trafficking operations in and around Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.