[Watch] Diligence crew stops more than $60M worth of cocaine from making it to US
The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Diligence prevented nearly 2,500 kilograms of cocaine worth more than $60 million from making it to the United States.
The vessel returned to Wilmington Tuesday after a 62-day patrol of missions ranging from public affairs in Philadelphia, to drug interdiction operations stretching from Mexico to Panama.
According to the Coast Guard, law enforcement from Diligence stopped three high-speed vessels they believe came from Colombia, smuggling narcotics and forced one vessel to throw its contraband overboard before running away.
“We’re very proud to have been part of the efforts to combat the flow of illegal drugs to our nation,” said Cmdr. Justin Carter, the commanding officer of the Diligence. “It was an exciting patrol, and our crew performed exceptionally during every opportunity to we had to pursue and interdict smugglers at sea, and throughout a deployment that had great challenges. We are thankful to be home and with our families after a great deployment!”
The Diligence crew used their cutter, smaller vessels and air patrols to track down the smugglers in an area in what is known as the Transit Zone, a six million square foot area in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The seizure took more than 12 hours to complete.
The Diligence crew also detained 25 people after the drug seizure where they came on board. The Diligence crew provided them shelter and three meals a day.
The Diligence focused on crew training in damage control, boat operations, engineering casualty control and ship handling to help many new crew members complete their required shipboard qualifications when they were not conducting law enforcement activities during the patrol.
The Diligence is a 210-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Wilmington, and its primary missions include counter drug and migrant interdiction, enforcing federal fishery laws and search and rescue operations.
Disclaimer: This video is intended for informational purpose only. This may not be construed as a news item or advice of any sort. Please consult the experts in that field for the authenticity of the presentations.
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Source: WAVE3 NEWS
