The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded more than 15 tons of cocaine in San Diego on Tuesday, taking pallet after pallet off the deck of the Cutter Munro following the ship’s months-long patrol in the eastern Pacific.
The ship seized approximately 33,768 pounds of cocaine from eight separate vessels in the months of February and March, officials said. The estimated value of the drugs was $468 million, though authorities said its street value after being cut down would likely be closer to roughly $2 billion.
The patrol was one of the Coast Guard’s more successful missions in recent history, said Rear Admiral Andrew Sugimoto.
“We prevented violence. We prevented instability in the countries in Central and South America. We prevented overdoses,” Sugimoto said. “This is what $2 billion worth of that looks like, that is not going to hit the streets and will be destroyed.”
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Captain Rula Deisher commands the Cutter Munro, which returned to San Diego after four months off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America. She said the 150 people onboard worked together day and night to intercept the smugglers, using a helicopter, drones and smaller boats to approach the vessels.
“I’m very proud. I'm very proud of the women and men that I just spent four months with sailing and I know that they're proud as well. I feel like we did a good job,” Deisher said. This marked her final patrol aboard the Cutter Munro, which she has commanded for two years.
“I want my family, I want – and I know my crew with their family members and their kids – we want them to grow up in a safe, drug-free environment and this is part of that,” she added.
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Those arrested at sea will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office, officials said.
The Drug Enforcement Administration took possession of the cocaine, which will be held for 60 days and then destroyed, except for a 10 kilogram sample to be used as evidence in the prosecution.
