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Coast Guard Seizes $20.2 Million Worth of Cocaine

Published Mar 9, 2011 5:14 PM by The Maritime Executive


EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN -- A U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) operating from the USS Doyle (FFG 39) interdicted a large shipment of cocaine destined for the United States, Dec. 5, 2010.



The Doyle intercepted the 70-foot long fishing vessel Rio Tuira in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean approximately 180 miles off the coast of Panama. A joint Coast Guard/Navy boarding team recovered 22 bales of cocaine, weighing approximately 1,100 pounds worth an estimated $20.2 million wholesale value.



The drugs were seized and five suspected smugglers were taken into custody. Criminal prosecution of this case will be shared between the United States and Panama.



The Doyle and its embarked Coast Guard LEDET continue to support counter drug operations in support of Joint Interagency Task Force–South, U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) and U.S. Coast Guard District Eleven.



Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Teams (TACLETs) and their LEDETs are an armed Deployable Specialized Force under the U.S. Deployable Operations Group. They were created to support drug interdiction operations aboard U.S. Navy and Allied warships and are capable of supporting the Department of Defense national defense operations. LEDETs provide specialized law enforcement capability and maritime security capabilities to enforce U.S. laws across a full spectrum of maritime response situations, maritime security augmentation, and maritime interdiction anti-piracy operations.



DOG Public Affairs, US Coast Guard