Coast Guard announces largest cocaine seizure in agency history

Earlier this week, the Coast Guard announced the largest cocaine seizure in its history. The result of which is what you're seeing here on these pallets, nearly 50,000 pounds of cocaine worth more than $360 million. Nicole Skanga takes us aboard the operation from Coast Guard missions at sea to the DEA lab where the drug's origin can be traced.

In South Florida, we got a close up look as Coast Guard crews offloaded

the narcotics. That is the pure uncut cocaine from the jungle.

Coast Guard Admiral Nathan Moore says the agency's work not only saves lives but hits the drug traffickers where it hurts their

bottom line. The cocaine is the cash cow that feeds everything else. The transnational crime organizations do, and that is why this is so critical.

Once it reaches the host cities, DEA administrator Terry Cole told us the agency's drug analysis can reveal the countries and even the cartels behind the powder. It'll allow

us to identify which region in Columbia that it came from, and then allows us to determine who's in charge of that region. And for this record

breaking hall, that analysis started in this hidden government lab in south florida. We got rare access to tag along as forensic scientist Jenna Hamilton ran drug samples through multiple tests. So if this is cocaine, this is going to turn blue. Yes, alright, let's see. And right away it's blue.

Absolutely it is examining the chemical fingerprints to ID the narcotics as cocaine. You're analyzing how light reflects off of the cocaine to confirm that it's actually cocaine.

Yes, wow.

But the work doesn't stop here, lab director Alan Catterton. The science here could be used to prosecute someone in court.

Absolutely. That's our main role.

I think the traffickers have become more aggressive, driven by profit, driven by corruption.

DEA Administrator Cole defended the U. S. Government's combined efforts from the Navy's controversial military strikes on suspected drug boats to the Coast Guard's targeted interceptions. You feel like this is a real dent in

the supply chain. I think that we, the U. S. Government under the president, it's all hands on deck. This is about saving Americans. This is about protecting our national security.

On the high seas, a new chapter in the war on drugs. For CBS Saturday Morning, For CBS Saturday Morning, Nicole Skanga, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.