US Coast Guard seizes more than $143 million worth of cocaine in the Pacific

By Colin McCullough, CNN

(CNN) — The US Coast Guard seized nearly 11,000 pounds of cocaine, worth over $143 million, in the eastern Pacific Ocean, according to a statement from the Coast Guard on Monday.

The seizure, performed by the crew of the US Coast Guard Cutter Alert, was a part of a 59-day counter-narcotics patrol of the eastern Pacific Ocean.

During the patrol, the Alert’s crew from the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron, spotted a suspected “go-fast” vessel. The Drug Enforcement Administration calls this a boat outfitted with high-performance outboard engines.

When calls to halt were ignored, the HITRON helicopter disabled the engines of the “go fast” vessel.

At the same time, bales of cocaine were being jettisoned into the sea by the suspected smugglers. A second small boat team then seized the cocaine from the water.

The crew completed their 59-day patrol on Monday and it was the cutter’s last patrol out of Astoria, Oregon, where it is based.

The USCGC Alert, commissioned in 1969, patrolled the northern Pacific Ocean between Russia and the US through coastal waters of Central and South America.

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