Coast Guard intercepts 3,400 pounds of cocaine in eastern Pacific Ocean

AUGUST 26, 2024 – The crew of the Coast Guard cutter Escanaba (WMEC 907) unloaded more than 3,400 pounds of cocaine and 4,410 pounds of marijuana in Port Everglades on Friday, with a total estimated street value of approximately $50 million.

The Escanaba crew carried a Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron aircrew and Law Enforcement Detachment 107 from Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team Pacific. They worked with interagency and international partners to intercept illegal narcotics in international waters off the coast of South America in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

Coast Guard crews frequently deploy to the U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Operating Area, which includes the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean, to conduct counter-narcotics missions under Joint Interagency Task Force-South. Deployments of cutters assigned to the Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command include Panama Canal transits to deny transnational criminal organizations access to maritime smuggling routes in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

“The Coast Guard presence in the Eastern Pacific is vital to our mission to disrupt the flow of illegal narcotics and ensure the security of our nation. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba has once again demonstrated through their unwavering professionalism and dedication the critical role our people play in these complex operations,” said Vice Adm. Nathan Moore, Coast Guard Atlantic Area Commander. “By maintaining a strong presence in this region, we continue to protect our communities and uphold the highest standards of service. The success of the Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba is a direct reflection of our commitment to mission excellence and the core values that guide us.”

The following assets and crews were involved in the interceptions:

Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba (WMEC 907)
Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) Jacksonville
Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team Detachment (LEDET) 107 – Pacific (PAC TACLET)
Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-South)
Eleventh Coast Guard District

“The counter-narcotics mission remains a vital Coast Guard mission,” said Commander Jared Silverman, commanding officer of the Coast Guard cutter Escanaba. “The crew of Escanaba, along with our shipmates from HITRON and TACLET, performed the mission with excellence and ensured that the spirit of operational excellence lives on.”

Seven suspected smugglers have been transferred to federal custody and face prosecution by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Detecting and intercepting illicit drug traffickers on the high seas requires significant interagency and international coordination. The Joint Interagency Task Force-South, based in Key West, Florida, conducts detection and monitoring of air and sea transportation of illicit drugs. Once interception is imminent, the law enforcement phase of the operation begins and control of the operation shifts to the U.S. Coast Guard during the interception and apprehension. Intercepts in the Eastern Pacific are conducted by members of the U.S. Coast Guard under the authority and control of the Coast Guard’s Eleventh District, headquartered in Alameda, California.

These interdictions relate to the Strike Force Initiatives and designated Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The Coast Guard is the lead federal maritime law enforcement agency of the United States, with the authority to enforce national and international laws on the high seas and waters within U.S. jurisdiction. Coast Guard HITRON crews are uniquely qualified to provide air power to non-compliant vessels, enabling the Coast Guard to better respond to maritime security threats and better secure our maritime borders since the program’s inception in 1999. For 25 years, HITRON crews have deployed aboard Coast Guard cutters and U.S. Navy or foreign allied warships to conduct counter-narcotics operations.

The Coast Guard cutter Escanaba is a 270-foot, 100-man, medium-sized cutter of the Famous class, homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia.

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