Large Drug Seizure by Coast Guard
Gulf of Tehuantepec, Eastern Pacific Ocean -- The 378-foot
Coast Guard Cutter Rush, home-ported in Honolulu, Hawaii with a San Francisco-based Coast
Guard helicopter crew, seized three tons of cocaine and detained four men from a
"go-fast" boat Wednesday, Feb. 5.
The Cutter Rush and its crew were on patrol in the Pacific Ocean 100 miles
south of Nicaragua when it was diverted to intercept a suspect vessel. As the cutter
closed in on the 42-foot go-fast, the four men on board set it on fire and jumped into the
sea. Coast Guardsmen were able to quickly extinguish the flames and keep the drug boat
from sinking.
The vessel had 105 bales of pure cocaine on board, weighing an estimated
5,775 pounds.
This seizure was the result of the careful coordination between the Joint
Interagency Task Force West (JIATF-West) in Alameda, Calif., with multiple Coast Guard and
Navy assets from across the country along with a Mexican Navy patrol boat and aircraft.
- USCG -
For more information or a digital photo, please contact the Coast
Guard Pacific Area Public Affairs office in Alameda, California (510) 437-3325
