Video: Coast Guard Officers Arrest Three Smugglers in Dramatic Boarding
The U.S. Coast Guard's drug boat interdictions off South and Central America are often high-stakes, high-intensity tactical operations, but most Americans never get to see the results. A rare first-person video released by the crew of the cutter USCGC Kimball gives a view into the high-speed action that Coast Guard law enforcement detachments (LEDETS) see regularly on every deployment to the Eastern Pacific.
The video shows a Coast Guard pursuit boat from Kimball approaching a large smuggling vessel with three suspects aboard. The cargo of cocaine is clearly visible and uncovered on the wooden boat's deck, and the men on board scrambled over it to get to the bow and lie face down for arrest.
Risking a fall into the water, one armed Coast Guard servicemember jumped from the pursuit boat to the suspect vessel, just as the RIB boat began to pull away in the swells. A second followed moments later after the pursuit boat made contact once again. The officers searched the suspects for weapons or contraband while a third coastguardsman took command of the boat's helm.
"Kimball started with aerial surveillance then engaged tactical law enforcement, and then sank the vessel so it wouldn’t be a hazard to other vessels," the Coast Guard said in a statement.
The operation was one of five busts that Kimball's crew completed on its latest tour, resulting in the capture of more than $200 million worth of cocaine. The drugs were returned to the U.S. (along with the suspects) and offloaded in San Diego.