52-Year-Old Coast Guard Cutter Seizes $67M in Cocaine

On Sunday, the team of the Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast returned house from a 57-day counter-narcotics patrol to theEastern Pacific Ocean During their implementation, Steadfast staffs boarded 5 presumed contraband vessels, taking 3,900 extra pounds of pure drug worth an approximated $67 million, and also apprehending 8 presumed medicine traffickers. The team unloaded the confiscated contraband in San Diego on October 1.
The team additionally replied to a search and also rescue instance, saved a sea turtle knotted in a deserted drift internet and also acted as a training system for tactical police systems from Maritime Security Response Team-West
Steadfast released with an MH-65 helicopter and also an aeronautics detachment from the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON), which aided in the interdiction of 4 go-fast vessels presumed of prohibited narcotics contraband. Additionally, Steadfast patrolled with a counter-narcotics topic professional from the Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team (TACLET).
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“The crew put a phenomenal amount of work into readying the cutter for this deployment and sharpening the skillsets required for counter-narcotics operations,” statedCmdr Craig Allen, Steadfast’s commander. “I’m extremely proud of the crew’s accomplishments, and I’m also grateful to the Steadfast families who held down the homefront during a turbulent two months that included ongoing COVID-19 challenges and wildfires.”
To make certain the security of Steadfast’s team throughout the COVID-19 international pandemic, the team carried out pre-deployment COVID-19 screening, adhered to by a 14-day surveillance duration. Throughout their patrol, Steadfast’s team preserved rigorous health and wellness safety measures throughout all communications with the general public, consisting of using N95 masks and also going through extensive health and wellness testings prior to each boarding.
Steadfast is a 52-year-old Reliance Class cutter and also has actually been homeported in Astoria given that 1994.
The viewpoints shared here are the writer’s and also not always those of The Maritime Executive.