USCG Cutter Steadfast Returns from Eastern Pacific Patrol

Earlier this month, members of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast came back to their homeport of Astoria, Oregon, after 57 days of conducting over 10,000 miles of counter-narcotics patrol, search-and-rescue and protection of marine life in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

While on patrol, the crew approached five suspected smuggling vessels, detained eight drug trafficking suspects and seized roughly $67 million worth of pure cocaine. They unloaded the 3,905 pounds of drugs in San Diego on Oct. 1, according to USCG.

Crew members also dealt with a search and rescue case, untangled a sea turtle entangled from a net and supported tactical law enforcement units from Maritime Security Response Team-West as a training platform.

“The crew put a phenomenal amount of work into readying the cutter for this deployment and sharpening the skill sets required for counter-narcotics operations,” said Cmdr. Craig Allen, commanding officer of Steadfast. “Their efforts paid dividends during the smooth execution of several challenging evolutions throughout the patrol. Our HITRON aircrew and TACLET members were an outstanding addition to the Steadfast team. I’m extremely proud of the crew’s accomplishments, and I’m also grateful to the Steadfast families who held down the home front during a turbulent two months that included ongoing COVID-19 challenges and wildfires.”

By Sarah Spangler