"U.S. Customs Reef," as it is named, was created four miles east of Key Biscayne, Fla., in 130 feet of water. This man-made artificial reef was formed when four cargo ships were sunk; three initially on July 13, 2001, and then one on October 18. The Miami River Enforcement Team seized the ships, M/V Brandywine, M/V Miguana, M/V Etoile do Mer, and the M/V Tacoma after being used to smuggle drugs into South Florida via the Miami River.

"Turning something bad -- ships loaded with cocaine -- into something good, an artificial reef for the whole community, is a win, win for everyone," says Deputy Commissioner Charles Winwood. "This living monument honors those who protect America's borders and coastlines -- past, present, and future."

Photo Credit: Miami Herald

The sinking of M/V Brandywine and three other seized ships created the "U.S. Customs Reef" in South Florida.

Covering less than 1 percent of the planet's surface, coral reefs are valuable assets providing food, jobs, protection from storms, and billions of dollars in revenues each year to local communities and national economies.

Although reefs are common in tropical climates, they do not exist in the waters of the continental United States above the southern tip of Florida. Off the southeastern coastal states, from North Carolina to Florida, "hard-bottom" or "live-bottom" habitats exist. These reefs occur in specific locations on the ocean bottom where nature has provided a suitable hard substrate, which serves as a post of attachment and colonization for sponges, corals, and a wide assortment of other invertebrates. To enhance the production of hard-bottom habitats, man-made materials, such as the ships seized by Customs, can be placed in areas that were previously barren of any natural reef structures. Large steel objects have been found to be most effective in creating artificial reefs. In the near future living organisms will colonize and inhabit almost every square inch of these ships enhancing the marine ecosystem.

This reef project was created through cooperation between Customs and the South Florida community. The ships were turned over to Miami-Dade County's Department of Environmental Resource Management (DERM) for the sole purpose of creating artificial reefs. The Miami-Dade County Artificial Reef Program was established in 1981 with the primary goal of increasing the habitat available to marine organisms for the enhancement of local fishery resources. The construction of artificial reefs was also initiated to provide areas of great recreational opportunity for fisherman and diver alike. Miami-Dade County is known as the "Wreck Diving Capital of the World."

Deep six drug ships The total amount of cocaine seized from the ships sunk by explosives to create the "U.S. Customs Reef" was 925 pounds, worth $7.7 million wholesale: On January 18, the M/V Etoile de Mer, was seized after Customs inspectors found 186 pounds of cocaine, worth $1.5 million wholesale. The cocaine was discovered on the main deck of the ship in two duffel bags and hidden in a false wall between the cargo hold and the engine room. The M/V Etoile de Mer is an 80-foot steel hulled fishing vessel converted to carry dry cargo. On February 12, the M/V Brandywine was seized after Customs inspectors discovered a false compartment under a waste oil tank in the forward cargo hold. The compartment was created with a false floor in the waste oil tank and accessed through a 4-inch by 12-inch steel plate that was put in place with Bondo-type material. On February 27, the M/V Miguana was seized as part of OPERATION RIVERWALK after Customs inspectors and Florida Highway Patrol officers found 125 pounds of cocaine, worth $1.1 million wholesale. The cocaine was initially discovered when "Bandit," a U.S. Customs drug detection dog, and "SPEC," a Florida Highway Patrol drug detection dog, alerted to the presence of cocaine near two propane tanks at the stern of the ship. While examining the tanks, inspectors discovered they were not properly connected to the galley stove, which contained no propane gas and was unusually heavy. An examination of the bottom of those tanks revealed that the bottoms had been cut and patched with Bondo-type material in an apparent effort to hide the illegal cargo. The M/V Miguana is a 101-foot former garbage scow converted to carry dry cargo. On October 18, the M/V Tacoma was the final ship sunk to create "U.S. Customs Reef." On January 19, the M/V Tacoma was seized after Customs inspectors found 614 pounds of cocaine, worth $5.1 million wholesale. The cocaine was discovered after six empty, new nylon duffel bags were found near the entrance to the cargo hold. Bandit, the same detector dog aboard the M/V Miguana, alerted to the presence of cocaine on the nylon bags and closer examination revealed a false compartment beneath the fuel tank adjacent to the cargo hold.