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Coast Guard seizes 8.5 tons of cocaine in the Pacific

The Coast Guard on Monday announced it had seized 8.5 tons of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Coast Guard seizes 8.5 tons of cocaine in the Pacific

SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) - The Coast Guard on Monday announced it had seized 8.5 tons of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. 

Crews from the cutters Steadfast and Alert interdicted the drugs from four suspected smuggling vessels between late June and mid-July. Steadfast's crew was responsible for two interdictions totaling approximately 5,450 kilograms and Alert's crew seized some 2,392 kilograms in two seizures.

More than 5,000 kilograms seized by Steadfast's crew was recovered from one panga-type fishing boat. 

The wholesale value of the seized cocaine is estimated at more than $260 million.

"I continue to be impressed by the dedication and tenacity of the crews aboard our cutters and the difficult, dangerous missions they perform," said Cmdr. Alain Balmaceda, commanding officer of the Steadfast. "Their hard work means two things. First, more than eight tons of cocaine won't reach our streets and add to the drug-related deaths and health problems facing our nation. And second, hundreds of millions of dollars are being denied to transnational criminal organizations who spread instability, death and despair wherever they operate."

Steadfast and Alert are both 210-foot medium endurance Reliance-class cutters based in Warrenton, Oregon but the seized drugs were offloaded the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal in San Diego. 

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