SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard Cutter Diligence repatriated 76 of 80 Dominican migrants to a Dominican Republic navy vessel on Oct.  18 following the interdiction of three separate illegal migrant voyages near Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard’s 7th District said in a release. 

Four other migrants will remain in Puerto Rico to face possible federal prosecution on charges of violating U.S. code for trying to illegally re-enter the United States. 

The interdictions were a result of ongoing efforts in support of Operation Unified Resolve, Operation Caribbean Guard and the Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG).  

“Medium endurance Coast Guard cutters like Dependable and Diligence provide persistent and robust search-and-rescue and law-enforcement presence along the United States’ vast maritime borders and ocean areas promoting safety of life at sea by helping prevent loss of life from perilous migrant voyages in overloaded and unsafe vessels, as well as enforcing compliance with federal laws and regulations,” said Cmdr. Luke Slivinski, commanding officer of the cutter Diligence. 

“Our recent interdictions were expertly supported by CPB Air and Marine Operations patrol aircraft that located the migrant vessels and adeptly directed our small boats over dozens of miles of open ocean at night to safely intercept them. The success of these recent joint operations highlights the excellent cooperation, coordination and interoperability between marine law enforcement agencies in and around Puerto Rico.” 

The first interdiction took place Oct. 14 after a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations DHC-8 marine patrol aircraft crew sighted a migrant boat near Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The Coast Guard Cutter Dependable interdicted the illegal voyage and embarked all 29 migrants, 22 men and seven women.  

The second interdiction took place Oct. 15 evening after a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations marine patrol aircraft crew sighted a migrant boat, approximately 18 nautical miles west of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. The Coast Guard Cutter Diligence interdicted the illegal voyage and embarked all 31 migrants, 28 men and three women.  

The third interdiction took place Oct. 17 after the crew of a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations DHC-8 marine patrol aircraft crew sighted a migrant boat in the Mona Passage, about 13 nautical miles southwest of Mona Island.  The Coast Guard Cutter Diligence interdicted the illegal voyage and embarked all 20 migrant men.

SAN DIEGO — The Coast Guard offloaded more than $92 million worth of seized cocaine in San Diego on Oct. 16, according to a release from the Coast Guard’s 11th District. 

The cocaine was seized in international waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean. The contraband represents four suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions by the crews of three Coast Guard cutters off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America between late July and early October by the following Coast Guard cutters: 

•        Alert (WMEC-630) was responsible for two cases, seizing 4,000 pounds of cocaine 

•        Robert Ward (WPC-1130) was responsible for one case, seizing 1,500 pounds of cocaine 

•        Seneca (WMEC-906) was responsible for one case, seizing 1,400 pounds of cocaine 

Numerous U.S. agencies from the departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security are involved in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, Navy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement along with allied and international partner agencies play a role in counter-drug operations. 

“I am extremely proud of this crew for doing their part to keep these dangerous drugs off the streets,” said Cmdr. Tyson Scofield, Alert’s commanding officer. “The eastern Pacific Ocean is a challenging environment, especially on a ship that is in her 50th year of service, yet this crew persevered to disrupt the illegal flow of narcotics that fuels instability in Central and South America.” 

The Coast Guard increased the U.S. and allied presence in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, which are known drug transit zones off Central and South America, as part of its Western Hemisphere Strategy. During at-sea interdictions, a suspect vessel is located and tracked by allied, military or law enforcement personnel. The interdictions, including the actual boarding, are led and conducted by the Coast Guard. The law enforcement phase of counter-smuggling operations in the eastern Pacific is conducted under the authority of the Coast Guard 11th District headquartered in Alameda.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard Cutter Heriberto Hernandez (WPC-1114) repatriated 45 of 49 Dominican migrants to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel Oct. 14 just off the Dominican Republic, following the interdiction of three separate illegal migrant voyages near Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard 7th District said in an Oct. 16 release. 

Four other migrants remain in Puerto Rico to face possible federal prosecution on charges of attempting to illegally reenter the United States, which carries a potential maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000. 

The interdictions were a result of ongoing efforts in support of Operation Unified Resolve, Operation Caribbean Guard and the Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG).  

“These are illegal and perilous ventures which greatly endanger the lives of migrants, who often embark grossly overloaded makeshift boats with little or no lifesaving equipment,” said Capt. Eric King, Commander of Coast Guard Sector San Juan. “In addition to enforcing U.S immigrations laws, these interdictions help prevent the unnecessary loss of life.” 

The first interdiction took place on the morning of Oct. 11 after a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations DHC-8 marine patrol aircraft crew sighted a migrant boat near Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. A Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action marine unit arrived on scene and interdicted the makeshift vessel with six men aboard. The Coast Guard Cutter Diligence (WMEC-616) arrived on scene shortly thereafter and embarked the migrants. 

The second interdiction took place Saturday morning after Ramey Sector Border Patrol agents detected an inbound migrant vessel near Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Two responding Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action marine units interdicted the makeshift vessel with 26 Dominican migrants aboard, 24 men and two women.  

The third interdiction took place during the night of Oct. 12 after the crew of a Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry detected a 20-foot migrant vessel transiting the Mona Passage towards Puerto Rico. Cutter Heriberto Hernandez diverted and interdicted the makeshift vessel with 17 men aboard. 

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical attention. 

Cutter Heriberto Hernandez is a 154-foot fast-response cutter homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico, while the cutter Diligence is a 210-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Wilmington, North Carolina. 

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement crews interdicted a record-breaking number of lanchas throughout the Gulf of Mexico for fiscal year 2019, according to a Coast Guard 8th District release. 

Since October 2018, Coast Guard assets and personnel have detected a total of 175 lanchas, intercepted 138 and interdicted 74. Since the first recorded lancha interdiction in the late 1980s, the Coast Guard has seen a significant uptick in detection of the vessels, particularly in the past two years, recording 61 lancha interdictions in the previous fiscal year. 

The Coast Guard utilizes a layered approach for interdiction through aircraft, small boats and cutters as well as improved technology on those assets, resulting in the drastic increase in lancha interdictions. 

“Working with our ReCoM partners, we will continue to apply maximum pressure along the Maritime Boundary Line in order to deter this illicit activity, preserve our natural resources and uphold U.S. sovereignty,” said Lt. Kurtis Mees, Coast Guard Station South Padre Island commanding officer. 

“I couldn’t be prouder of my crew’s efforts and their steadfast dedication towards this mission. This problem has persisted now in South Texas for 30-plus years, and we are committed to seeing an end to it.” 

A lancha is a fishing boat used by Mexican fishermen that is about 20 to 30 feet long with a slender profile. They typically have one outboard motor and are capable of traveling at speeds in excess of 30 mph. Lanchas pose a major threat, usually entering the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone near the U.S.-Mexico border in the Gulf of Mexico with the intent to smuggle people, drugs or poach the United States’ natural resources.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard Cutters Joseph Tezanos and Heriberto Hernandez repatriated 82 migrants from the Dominican Republic and five Haitians to a Dominican navy vessel on Oct. 7 following the interdiction of five illegal migrant voyages in Mona Passage, according to a Coast Guard release. 

Eight other Dominican migrants remain in Puerto Rico to face possible federal prosecution for trying to illegally re-enter the United States. 

The interdictions were a result of ongoing efforts in support of operations Unified Resolve and Caribbean Guard and the Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG). Since Oct. 1, 2018, the Coast Guard and CBIG federal and state partner agencies have interdicted 2,078 migrants at sea near Puerto Rico. 

“The Coast Guard, along with our partners in the Caribbean Border Interagency Group, remains postured with cutters and aircraft to stop illegal maritime migration in the Mona Passage and the Caribbean,” said Capt. Eric King, commander of Coast Guard Sector San Juan. 

The first interdiction took place on the morning of Oct. 4, after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection air and marine operations DHC-8 patrol aircraft crew sighted a migrant boat just off Mona Island. The Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk diverted to the scene and interdicted the 17-foot migrant vessel with 13 Dominican men aboard. Hours later, the crew of a Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft detected a second migrant boat near Mona Island. Mohawk interdicted that vessel, which had another 20 Dominican men aboard. 

The third and fourth interdictions took place Oct. 5 after a HC-144 and the crew of a Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Borinquen detected two illegal voyages in Mona Passage. Heriberto Hernandez interdicted one of the vessels, which carried 14 Dominican migrants, 12 men and two women, and the other with 34 migrants, including five Haitians, a woman and four men, and 29 Dominicans, 27 men and two women. 

The fifth interdiction took place Oct. 6 after an Ocean Sentry aircraft detected an illegal migrant voyage transiting Mona Passage. The cutter Joseph Tezanos diverted and interdicted a 25-foot makeshift vessel with 14 Dominican migrants aboard, 13 men and a woman. 

Ramey Sector Border Patrol agents in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, assumed custody of the eight migrants awaiting federal prosecution. 

MIAMI — The Coast Guard interdicted 13 migrants and one suspected smuggler on Sept. 25 miles east of Miami, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release. 

The Coast Guard Cutter William Trump crew detected a westbound 21-foot cabin cruiser about 25 miles east of Miami heading towards southeast Florida. Upon detection, the cabin cruiser crew reversed their course to go east toward the Bahamas. William Trump’s crew stopped the vessel and discovered six Jamaican migrants, six Haitian migrants, one Guyanese migrant and the suspected smuggler, a Bahamian national, aboard. 

The crew of a Coast Guard Station Miami Beach 45-foot response boat-medium transferred the 11 migrants and the suspected smuggler ashore to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for further investigation and the Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell crew transferred only two of the Haitian migrants to the Bahamian Immigration Department. 

“The Coast Guard continues to maintain a focused and coordinated effort with multiple agency assets to interdict any attempt to dangerously and unlawfully immigrate by sea to the United States,” said Lt. Cmdr. Mark Cobb, Coast Guard Sector Miami chief of enforcement. “These illegal migrant smuggling ventures are extremely dangerous, especially during the hurricane season, and place families in danger of being lost at sea.” 

HONOLULU — The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned the newest Hawaii-based 154-foot fast response cutter (FRC) in Honolulu on Sept. 26, according to a Coast Guard 14th District release. 

“There is no greater reflection of the commandant’s strategic vision and commitment than the fact that as we commission the William Hart today, it will be the fifth Coast Guard cutter commissioned in the last two years here at Base Honolulu that will operate in the heart of Oceania,” said Rear Adm. Kevin Lunday, commander of the 14th District. 

“There is no question that by our actions and not our words alone, the Coast Guard is here and committed along with the rest of the United States in the Pacific.”  

The Coast Guard Cutter William Hart (WPC 1134) is the third Sentinel-Class FRC to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Honolulu. While these ships’ crews call Honolulu home, they will operate throughout the 14th Coast Guard District, which covers more than 14 million square miles of land and sea, with units in Hawaii, American Samoa, Saipan, Guam, Singapore and Japan. 

The FRCs are some of the newest Coast Guard vessels to come online, replacing the aging Island-Class patrol boat fleet. The FRCs represent the Coast Guard’s commitment to modernizing service assets to address the increasingly complex global maritime transportation system. 

William Hart “is a remarkable ship with increased seakeeping, endurance, range, combat capability, telecommunications, everything about this is a game-changer for the Coast Guard,” Lunday said. 

FRCs feature advanced systems as well as over-the-horizon response boat deployment capability and improved habitability for the crew. The ships can accommodate a team of 24, reach speeds of 28 knots with a range of 2,500 nautical miles and patrol up to five days. 

Recently, FRCs already stationed in Honolulu participated in longer over-the-horizon voyages to the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Samoa, displaying the potential of these cutters and their importance to the Coast Guard’s overall Pacific strategy and regional partnerships. 

The crew took delivery of the William Hart, which was built by Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, Louisiana, in Key West, Florida, and arrived in Honolulu on Aug. 17. Three more FRCs are scheduled to be homeported in Guam, increasing the 14th Coast Guard District’s total number of the cutters to six. Servicewide, the Coast Guard is acquiring 56 FRCs to replace the 110-foot Island-class patrol boats. 

William C. Hart, the cutter’s namesake, was a Gold Lifesaving Medal recipient who rescued a crewmember of the tug Thomas Tracy. 

In November 1926, Hart dove into the water in a 70-mph gale off Absecon, New Jersey, to save the mariner, who went overboard in the storm. Throughout the 1930s, Hart served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before returning to the Coast Guard in 1939, advancing to the rank of chief petty officer and serving as a boatswain’s mate.

When the United States entered World War II, he was commissioned as a lieutenant junior grade and saw action in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. He served as commanding officer and executive officer for several ships before retiring from the Coast Guard as a lieutenant commander in 1950.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Coast Guard Cutter Valiant crew intercepted a drug-laden semi-submersible in the eastern Pacific, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release.  

While on routine patrol in the eastern Pacific, Valiant’s crew interdicted a self-propelled semi-submersible in international waters carrying about 12,000 pounds of cocaine, worth more than $165 million, and apprehended four suspected drug smugglers. 

The semi-submersible was originally detected and monitored by maritime patrol aircraft, and the Valiant crew was diverted by Joint Interagency Task Force South to interdict the semi-submersible, arriving after sunset. 

The Valiant crew launched two small boats with boarding teams made up of Valiant crew and two members of the Coast Guard Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team, successfully interdicting the semi-submersible in the early morning hours. They then led and conducted a full law enforcement boarding with the assistance of Colombian naval assets that arrived on scene shortly after. 

About 1,100 pounds of cocaine were recovered and offloaded to the Valiant during the operations. The remaining cocaine on the semi-submersible could not be safely extracted due to stability concerns of the vessel. 

According to Valiant’s commanding officer, the interdiction coincided with a time-honored mariner’s milestone and tradition of crossing the equator, which made both events even more meaningful part of the ship’s patrol. 

“There are no words to describe the feeling Valiant crew is experiencing right now,” said Cmdr. Matthew Waldron, Valiant’s commanding officer. “In a 24-hour period, the crew both crossed the equator and intercepted a drug-laden self-propelled semi-submersible vessel. Each in and of themselves is momentous events in any cutterman’s career. Taken together, however, it is truly remarkably unprecedented This interdiction was an all-hands-on-deck evolution, and each crew member performed above and beyond the call of duty.”

NORFOLK, Va. — USNS Hershel “Woody” Williams (T-ESB 4) has finished a three-day voyage in the Chesapeake Bay to test an anti-mine system, the public affairs offices of the program executive officers for ships and unmanned and small combatants said in a release.  

The expeditionary sea base (ESB) ship used the Littoral Combat Ship Mine Countermeasure (MCM) Mission Package portable control station to maneuver the MCM equipment and the launch and recovery equipment as well as to test the command and control of unmanned vehicles. 

The demonstration proved ESB class ships’ ability to serve as an MCM-capable platform to embark 12 20-foot equivalent units, vehicles and the support equipment required to operate, launch and recover one full MCM mission package, including the buried mine hunting and unmanned sweeping mission modules, with flexible ship modifications. 

“Considering the contested environments [that] our ships sail in, counter-mine capabilities are very important because we have to be able to keep the enemy at bay,” said Capt. David Gray, the Hershel “Woody” Williams’ officer in charge. 

“Mines of today are very inexpensive to make,” Gray added. “Our adversaries can produce mines for a few hundred dollars and inflict a tremendous loss of life while causing millions of dollars of damage. So, we need the assets out there to detect and destroy these threats ahead of time and keep the world’s shipping lanes open.” 

Representatives from Program Executive Office for Ships (PEO Ships) and Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC) had overall responsibility for the planning and execution of the integration event, with support from the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Engineering Directorate, Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City and Carderock Combatant Craft Divisions, and Mine Countermeasures Detachment 22. Personnel from Military Sealift Command (MSC) and ship’s force conducted ship operations, navigation and maintenance of the ship systems during the demonstration.  

“This demonstration highlighted the inherent modularity of the Mine Countermeasure Mission Package,” said Capt. Godfrey Weekes, Littoral Combat Ships Mission Modules Program Manager, PEO USC. “The ability to deploy the MCM capability from this ship is a true force multiplier.” 

Initial assessments showed positive results and will help inform the feasibility of integration on ESB as well as other vessels of opportunity. This integration demonstration represents the potential to provide increased agility to our operational forces as they respond to the growing complexity of sea-mines while shifting to a broad-spectrum cross-domain, expeditionary approach. 

With a large flight deck, as well as fuel and equipment storage, repair spaces, magazines and mission spaces, the ESB platform continues to demonstrate tremendous adaptability. 

“This successful demonstration shows the versatility of the ESB platform to bring capability to the fleet through expanded expeditionary warfare mission sets,” said Capt. Scot Searles, Strategic and Theater Sealift program manager, PEO Ships. “Our teams worked collaboratively to develop and implement innovative designs that expand our operational advantage and provides tremendous benefit to our warfighters.”

MIAMI — The Coast Guard Cutter Seneca (WMEC-906) crew offloaded more than 12,000 pounds of cocaine Sept. 20 at Coast Guard Sector Miami, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release. 

The drugs were interdicted in international waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America, including contraband seized and recovered in more than five interdictions of suspected drug smuggling vessels by Coast Guard cutters: 

The cutter Seneca was responsible for two cases, seizing about 2,800 pounds of cocaine. 

The Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma (WMEC-908) was responsible for three interdictions, seizing about 2,500 pounds of cocaine. 

The Coast Guard Cutter Midgett (WMSL-757) was responsible for two cases, seizing approximately 5,700 pounds of cocaine. 

The Coast Guard Cutter Valiant (WMEC-621) was responsible for one case, seizing about 1,000 pounds of cocaine. 

“These down-range counter-drug operations are a vital component to the Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security’s mission and our national security. These operations enable us to extend our maritime borders, weaken the economic engine of Transnational Criminal Organizations, contribute to enhancing stability and security across our partner nations within Central America, and they combat the drug epidemic within our local communities,” said Cmdr. John Christensen, commanding officer of the cutter Seneca. 

“I am exceptionally proud of this crew. Over the course of the last three months they rose above the challenges of conducting operations at sea, persevered through many personal sacrifices and showed an unwavering dedication to serving our nation.” 

The cutter Seneca’s crew along with those of the other ships conducted operations targeting transnational criminal organizations in conjunction with Joint Interagency Task Force-South, Department of Defense, Customs and Border Protection, Department of Justice, and several other Coast Guard aircraft. The cutter Seneca’s presence and efforts are critical to disrupting and dismantling the transnational criminal organizations that attempt to smuggle these drugs through the ocean and into Central and North America. 

The cutter Seneca is a 270-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Boston. The cutter Tahoma is a 270-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Kittery, Maine. The cutter Midgett is a 418-foot national security cutter homeported in Honolulu. The cutter Valiant is a 210-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Jacksonville, Florida.