Coast Guard offloads more than 29,000 pounds of cocaine in San Diego
A United States Coast Guard crew offloaded more than 29,000 pounds of cocaine in San Diego on Tuesday, which is worth an estimated street value of more than $335.8 million.
According to a statement from the USCG, the crew of the Cutter Munro conducted eleven interdictions on suspected drug smuggling vessels off the coast of Mexico, Central America and South America in September in October in order to retrieve the narcotics that were offloaded.
"I would put this crew on any mission, anywhere, at any time," said Capt. James O'Mara Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Munro. "They executed everything asked of them with incredible teamwork and persistence, and we are proud of the results. Hats off to all our international and interagency partners – we absolutely cannot do this mission without them."
Along with the Coast Guard, the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security assisted in the collaborative effort to combat the "transnational organized crime," said a statement from the USCG.
"The fight against drug cartels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean requires unity of effort in all phases, from detection and monitoring to interdictions and criminal prosecutions," the statement said.
The interdictions are directly related to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces designated investigations, the statement said.
This is the second notable offloading in the last few months in San Diego, after the Cutter Munro also offloaded $468 million worth of cocaine back in May.
Officials say that the Munro is stationed in Alameda, California, and can operate some of the ocean's demanding environments.