Eleventh District

The boundaries of the Eleventh Coast Guard District encompass the states of California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. The goal of the Eleventh Coast Guard District is to be the source for Eleventh District units for operational direction, policy, oversight, scheduling, and facility and asset management.

Coast Guard units engaged in counterdrug missions within the Eleventh District (D11) are involved in the enforcement of two key drug laws: simple possession (21 USC 844) and possession with the intent to distribute or manufacture (46 USC App. 1903). Simple possession involves the illegal possession of personal use quantities whereas possession with the intent to distribute or manufacture is typically enforced on drug smugglers carrying amounts greater than personal use, normally in the multi-kilo or multi-ton range.

The Eleventh Coast Guard District enforces federal drug laws on navigable waters in or near the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, and exercises tactical oversight of maritime interdiction in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. This region includes international waters near Central and South America. The Eleventh Coast Guard District works closely with the Joint Interagency Task Forces (East and West) in order to conduct effective drug law enforcement interdiction efforts. Through this cooperation the Coast Guard is able to detect, monitor, interdict and apprehend drug smugglers before they and their illegal cargo reach U.S. soil.

In an effort to deny drug trafficking organizations access to maritime smuggling routes near Northern Baja California, Mexico, the Eleventh Coast Guard District initiated Operation Border Shield. The initiative, launched in April 1997, focuses on stemming the illegal flow of marijuana into Southern California and relies on inter-agency cooperation within the Maritime Task Force in San Diego. This task force includes the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Customs Service, the U.S. Border Patrol, the San Diego District Attorney's Office, the Chula Vista Police Department, the Coronado Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement. In early January, 1998, a multi-agency effort led by Coast Guard Cutters Steadfast and Tybee, resulted in the seizure of 1.6 tons of marijuana, two speed boats, and the arrest of four smugglers.

Eleventh District is also involved in migrant smuggling interdiction.

The 11th Coast Guard District dedicates considerable time and resources to ensure the safety of the boating community. In addition to the waters along the California coast, international treaties have given the district responsibility for waters as far south as Central America, extending over a thousand miles offshore. In Fiscal Year 1999, the 11th District logged over 6400 cases, involving everything from boaters lost or out of gas to complex offshore rescues involving hundreds of man hours and multiple ships and aircraft. We hope this site will give you some understanding of what we do, as well as how to better prepare yourself to handle an emergency on the water.