The US Coast Guard has offloaded more than 21,300kg of cocaine worth more than US$721 million from the Coast Guard cutter Stratton at San Diego.
The drugs were seized in 23 separate interdictions in the eastern Pacific Ocean by US and Canadian forces operating in international waters off the coast of Central America and South America.
US Coast Guard personnel turned over the narcotics to federal agents for investigation, prosecution and destruction.
The crew of US Coast Guard cutter Stratton stopped two low-profile go fast boats in three days, resulting in the seizure of more than 2,630kg of cocaine worth almost $78 million.
The crews stopped five suspected drug smuggling boats in less than two months, resulting in the seizure of more than 5,440kg of cocaine worth more than $165 million.
The coast guard will also offload a case executed by HMCS Nanaimo and a US Coast Guard law enforcement detachment on November 21.
The Canadian-US crew seized more than 1,496kg of cocaine worth more than $44 million from a go fast boat in international waters off the coast of Central America. During their patrol, the Canadian-US crew of Nanaimo seized 1,989kg of cocaine worth more than $58 million.
Interdictions by other coast guard cutter crews included: five by the Oregon-based cutter Steadfast; five by the Key West-based cutter Mohawk; five by the Virginia-based cutter Northland; and two by the Key West-based cutter Thetis.
The multinational effort to combat criminal networks in the region includes more than 19 partner nations operating with Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATFS).
