PortMiami Dive Team, French Navy Seize Cocaine

U.S. Border Patrol dive teams in PortMiami recovered an eight‑pound bundle of cocaine strapped to the hull of a ship arriving from the Dominican Republic, using specialized underwater cutting tools to extract the “parasitic” load that USBP Chief Michael W. Banks called the agency’s first‑ever parasitic drug seizure; the contraband was seized by Customs and Border Protection and it was unclear whether any arrests were made. Separately, the French navy seized 9.6 tonnes of cocaine (reported at about €519 million / $609 million) from an unregistered fishing vessel off the coast of West Africa after a tip from anti‑drug and maritime intelligence and British police, in an operation conducted as part of France’s Corymbe mission. French authorities released images of the operation and said their naval forces have intercepted tens of tonnes of drugs at sea this year, reporting roughly 54.1 tonnes seized since the start of 2025 (including nearly six tonnes by the end of August). Together the incidents illustrate persistent maritime smuggling methods and the expanding use of specialized interdiction tactics, from BORSTAR dive teams to international naval task forces, to disrupt shipments.