Coast Guard Offloads 7.5 Tons of Seized Illicit Drugs in San Diego

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The U.S. Coast Guard today offloaded in San Diego more than 7.5 tons of illicit drugs were seized in recent weeks from seafaring smugglers in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

The haul of 11,301 pounds of cocaine and 4,076 pounds of marijuana, delivered from the decks of the Hawaii-homeported USCG cutter Kimball, would have been worth some $223 million on the black market, according to the federal maritime agency.

The crews of three Coast Guard vessels and a Canadian government ship nabbed the narcotics off the coasts of Central and South America between late February and early this month, according to USCG public affairs.

``At-sea interdictions of pure cocaine are the most effective way to limit cartels' destabilizing effects throughout the Western Hemisphere,'' said Vice Admiral Michael McAllister, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area. ``Coast Guard national security cutters like Kimball are the service's most capable asset to strengthen maritime governance, but when team partners from the Royal Canadian Navy and U.S. Navy Littoral combat ships (assist), they leverage our network of international and interagency partners to reduce the

availability of illicit drugs in the Western Hemisphere and facilitate U.S. attorneys' efforts to close the cycle of justice."

The law enforcement phase of counter-smuggling operations in the Eastern Pacific takes place under the authority of the 11th Coast Guard District, headquartered in Alameda. Interdictions, including boardings of suspected smuggling vessels, are led and conducted by Coast Guard personnel, according to USCG public affairs.

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