ALAMEDA, Calif. — The U.S. Coast Guard seized more than 3,100 pounds of cocaine in mid-May with an estimated value of $53.5 million from a low-profile go-fast vessel in international waters of the Pacific Ocean off Central America, the Coast Guard 11th District said in a release.
A maritime patrol aircraft spotted a suspected smuggling vessel and diverted the crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter James to the vessel’s position.
Once on scene, the James crew boarded the vessel to find four suspected smugglers and initially discovered a small amount of cocaine aboard the vessel.
The boarding team members later discovered an area of the ship that had been closed off, where they discovered the majority of the 3,100 pounds of cocaine.
On April 1, U.S. Southern Command began enhanced counter-narcotics operations in the Western Hemisphere to disrupt the flow of drugs in support of Presidential National Security Objectives.
Numerous U.S. agencies from the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security cooperated in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, Navy, 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.
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