The US Coast Guard medium endurance cutter Active returned to its homeport of Port Angeles, Washington, earlier this month following a 46-day deployment to the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
The vessel patrolled 10,056 total nautical miles off the coast of Central America, deployed with an armed coast guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) in Jacksonville, Florida, which specialises in airborne use of force (AUF) and drug interdiction missions.
In just 72 hours, Active's crew interdicted two vessels suspected of drug smuggling and seized approximately 4,200 kilograms of cocaine worth US$159 million. These efforts also resulted in the detention of 13 suspected narcotics traffickers.
