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USS Elrod Seizes 1,000 Pounds of Drugs in Caribbean

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS120404-08
4/4/2012

From U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet Public Affairs

USS ELROD, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Elrod (FFG 55), with assistance from the royal Netherland navy, intercepted a fast moving speedboat suspected of drug trafficking, in the Caribbean Sea March 22, in support of Operation Martillo.

"A good deal of credit for this interdiction goes to the Dutch navy and their dedicated air support," said Cmdr. John Callaway, Elrod commanding officer. "They played a vital role in achieving the Operation Martillo objective to intercept drugs smuggled into the U.S."

During the interdiction, the drug traffickers were seen throwing their cargo overboard as an SH-60B helicopter from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 60 embarked aboard Elrod approached the craft to obstruct its course of escape. A U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment, also embarked aboard Elrod, boarded the "go-fast" and took four persons into custody after the jettisoned cargo was tested positive for cocaine.

"This interception and apprehension is an example of the strong teamwork aboard Elrod including the engineers providing the power for a sustained, high speed pursuit, the helicopter detachment tracking the suspect vessel and the Coast Guard team who recognized the potential dangerous situation when the "go-fast" boat began sinking," said Callaway.

Operation Martillo (Spanish for 'hammer') is a U.S., European, and Western Hemisphere partner nation effort targeting illicit trafficking routes in coastal waters along the Central American isthmus. U.S. military participation is being led by Joint Interagency Task Force-South, a component of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). Operation Martillo is a component of the U.S. government's coordinated interagency regional security strategy in support of the White House strategy to combat transnational organized crime and the U.S. Central America Regional Security Initiative.

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet supports U.S. Southern Command joint and combined full-spectrum military operations by providing principally sea-based, forward presence to ensure freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain, to foster and sustain cooperative relationships with international partners and to fully exploit the sea as maneuver space in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.