MEXICO CITY (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Coast Guard seized more than five tons of narcotics worth more than $158 million in San Diego.
The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast offloaded more than 11,600 pounds of cocaine and 5,500 pounds of marijuana from three smuggling vessels off the coast of San Diego on Monday, the Coast Guard said.
It was the result of a series of counter-narcotics patrols jointly conducted by crews of the Coast Guard Cutters Vigilant, Mohawk and Steadfast in the Eastern Pacific Ocean between May and July.
'The crews of the Coast Guard Cutters Vigilant, Mohawk and Steadfast worked diligently to combat transnational organized crime, disrupt drug flow and prevent a significant amount of drugs from reaching the U.S.,' said Rear Adm. Andrew Sugimoto, commander, Coast Guard Eleventh District.
The U.S. government and the Mexican Navy (SEMAR) have been jointly fighting transnational organized crime.
The Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with SEMAR, contributed to this counter-narcotic operation.
The fight against drug cartels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean requires unity of effort in all phases from detection, monitoring, and interdictions, to criminal prosecutions by international partners and U.S. Attorneys' Offices in districts across the nation.
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