By Karen Robes Meeks
This week, US Coast Guard Cutter Active crewmembers unloaded more than 2,000 pounds of cocaine worth approximately $37 million. The drug was confiscated in early May during the Eastern Pacific Ocean patrol.
On April 1, US Southern Command began enhanced counter-narcotics operations in the Western Hemisphere to disrupt the flow of drugs in support of Presidential National Security Objectives. Numerous US agencies from the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security cooperated in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with allied and international partner agencies, play a role in counter-drug operations.
The seizure is part of a larger effort in the battle against drug cartels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, where the Alameda-based 11th Coast Guard District has enforcement jurisdiction.
“This patrol, and this interdiction in particular, highlights the resilience and professionalism of Active’s crew,” said Cmdr. James O’Mara, commanding officer of Active, which is homeported in Port Angeles, Wash. “We cancelled a port visit, stretched logistics and diverted 500 miles to get on target and do our job. No captain could ask or expect more from a crew, especially given all the adversity overcome during this patrol. Though I know if more were required, this crew would rally and answer the call, the way they always do.”
