Approximately six tons of cocaine, intercepted in international waters by crews of several U.S. Coast Guard cutters, were offloaded Friday in San Diego.
Crews of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Stratton offloaded at the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal.
According to the Coast Guard, the cocaine was seized off the coast of Central and South America by crews of U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Stratton, Spencer, Sherman and Mohawk.
Stratton, a 418-foot national security cutter, seized approximately 3,700 pounds of the six tons of cocaine.
It was the first Coast Guard cutter to use an unmanned aerial system (sUAS) for the entirety of a patrol. The sUAS assisted Stratton's helicopter and crew during drug seizures.
“We had a tremendously successful deployment from start to finish and I could not be more proud of the crew,” said Capt. Nathan Moore, Stratton’s commanding officer. “Stratton operates on the front lines attacking transnational criminal networks where they are most vulnerable, on our turf -- at sea."
In the 2016 fiscal year, the U.S. Coast Guard seized more than 416,000 pounds of cocaine and arrested 585 suspected smugglers.
