Breaking down the Coast Guard's massive $500 million drug busts
Breaking down the Coast Guard's massive $500 million drug busts
The Coast Guard offloaded a record-breaking haul with an estimated worth of nearly $500 million. Over the course of two months, officials say they seized more than 61,000 pounds of cocaine. Nicole Sganga has details.
Read the full article on CBS US
Truth Analysis
Analysis Summary:
The article is mostly accurate, reporting on a large drug bust by the Coast Guard. The estimated value of the drugs seized is consistently reported as around $500 million across multiple sources. There is a slight bias towards highlighting the success of the Coast Guard and DOJ.
Detailed Analysis:
- Claim: The Coast Guard offloaded a record-breaking haul with an estimated worth of nearly $500 million.
- Verification Source #1: Reports a $500 million cocaine bust.
- Verification Source #2: Reports nearly $500 million in illegal narcotics offloaded.
- Verification Source #4: Reports over $517.5 million in illicit drugs offloaded.
- Verification Source #5: Reports $500 million drug bust.
- Assessment: Supported by multiple sources. The exact amount varies slightly, but all sources confirm a haul worth approximately $500 million.
- Claim: Over the course of two months, officials say they seized more than 61,000 pounds of cocaine.
- Verification Source #1: Reports 45,000 pounds of cocaine seized.
- Verification Source #2: Reports 33,200 pounds of cocaine and 12,400 pounds of marijuana.
- Verification Source #4: Reports approximately 45,600 pounds of illicit narcotics.
- Verification Source #5: Reports 45,000 pounds of illegal drugs.
- Assessment: Partially accurate. The 61,000 pounds figure is not consistently supported. Some sources report around 45,000 pounds of cocaine, while others specify cocaine and marijuana. The two-month timeframe is not explicitly verified by the provided sources, but the dates on the articles suggest this is plausible.
Supporting Evidence/Contradictions:
- Source 4: "Coast Guard offloads over $517.5 million in illicit drugs interdicted in eastern..."
- Source 5: "Coast Guards $500M drug bust hailed as a win against violent cartels"