Crews aboard two Alameda-based US Coast Guard cutters recently interdicted three suspected drug smuggling vessels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and seized more than 4,000 kilograms of cocaine worth an estimated US$156 million.
Conducting the operations were the crews of the Legend-class national security cutters Munro and Bertholf.
Munro's crew boarded a fishing vessel suspected of smuggling illicit narcotics. Exercising a bilateral agreement with a partner nation, the boarding teams searched and discovered over 580 kilograms of cocaine concealed within the vessel.
Munro's crew interdicted a second suspected drug-smuggling vessel hours later after a maritime patrol aircraft detected a suspicious vessel and directed the cutter towards it.
Munro launched a helicopter aircrew and boarding teams, and together they interdicted a low-profile vessel. The boarding teams discovered over 1,500 kilograms of cocaine aboard the purpose-built, drug-smuggling vessel.
Six days later, Bertholf's boarding teams also interdicted a low-profile vessel, seizing more than 1,900 kilograms of cocaine.
Nine suspected traffickers were taken into custody between the three interdictions.
