USCG Offloads 5K Pounds of Drugs Seized Near Central America
By Christina Bravo ••
More than 5,000 pounds of cocaine seized by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) in the waters near Central America were offloaded in San Diego Tuesday.
The 5,271 pounds of drugs estimated to be worth more than $78 million were seized during a two-day period in May by Coast Guard crews from Port Angeles, Washington.
The cocaine will be turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for destruction, USCG said.
The crew also detained six suspected drug smugglers who will have trials in the U.S.
Active, the Coast Guard cutter used in the interceptions is a 53-year-old, 210-foot ship homeported in Port Angeles, Washington. The average lifespan of a cutter is 40 years, according to USCG.
"Just to keep a 53-year-old ship in prime condition is a feat in and of itself, and [the crew has] done that and much more," the ship's commanding officer, Cmdr. Chris German, said.