A San Diego-based U.S. Coast Guard crew, along with a Navy team, interdicted a suspected smuggling boat in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and recovered more than 1,700 pounds of cocaine from the vessel.
According to U.S. Coast Guard officials, the maritime narcotics bust happened on Oct. 25, about 32 miles off the coast of Colombia.
A helicopter conducting a routine patrol spotted a fast-moving speedboat in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and alerted San Diego’s Coast Guard LEDET and USS Carr crews.
When the Coast Guard and Navy teams honed in on the boat to investigate, the vessel altered its course and tried to escape while jettisoning its cargo into the water.
Eventually the suspected smuggling vessel came to a stop and officials were able to recover the drugs on board, which included 1,719 pounds of cocaine worth about $15.6 million.
Since the beginning of their deployment in the Eastern Pacific this past June, the LEDET and USS Carr crews have seized nearly 4,000 pounds of cocaine and 4,134 pounds of marijuana for a combined value of more than $39 million, Coast Guard officials said.
