U.S. Coast Guard Delivers $200M in Cocaine to the Pier in San Diego

 

The crew of the Coast Guard cutter USCGC Active has delivered $200 million worth of cocaine to the pier in San Diego, adding to the service's growing tally from an enforcement surge in the Eastern Pacific. 

USCGC Active is a 60-year-old medium endurance cutter (WMEC), and is among the longest-tenured vessels still serving in the U.S. armed forces. Still running on reliable ALCO 251 diesel engines, Active remains a top contributor to the counter-smuggling effort in the Pacific. The WMEC fleet is due for eventual replacement by the future Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC), currently being constructed by Austal; in the interim, the efforts of crewmembers are essential for maintaining the existing fleet at sea.

"I could not be prouder of this crew," said Cmdr. Earl Potter, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Active. "Their determination, resilience, and professionalism make it possible to complete these dynamic and dangerous missions at sea. The conditions are tough, hours are long, and demands are high, but this team always maintains focus."

During this port call, Active offloaded 12.5 tonnes of cocaine, enough for about 10 million street doses. The landing is a major contribution to the Coast Guard's tally for "Operation Pacific Viper," its surge effort to provide additional countertrafficking resources off South and Central America. From the start of the operation in August through December 9, the service seized a total of 68 tonnes. 

The offload provides a contrast to the Pentagon's parallel effort, which applies counterterrorism tactics to the problem of drug trafficking. At about the same time that the Coast Guard announced USCGC Active's offload, U.S. Southern Command announced that three more suspected drug boats had been eliminated in airstrikes in the Eastern Pacific, killing eight suspects on board.