USCG Cutter James returns home from 52-day patrol

The Coast Guard Cutter James and crew returned to Charleston, Friday, following a 52-day counter-drug patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

The James crew patrol efforts were in direct support of the President’s enhanced counter-narcotics surge announced in early April. The U.S. Coast Guard, working cooperatively with U.S. Southern Command began this surge effort in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean put increased pressure on the drug trafficking organizations operating in Central and South America. Working alongside other Coast Guard cutters and U.S. Navy partner ships, Coast Guard Cutter James crew seized or disrupted more than 11,400 pounds of cocaine and nearly 2,600 pounds of marijuana. Coast Guard Cutter James crew also successfully executed two search and rescue cases off the coast of Costa Rica, saving seven distressed mariners, within hours of each other.

During their patrol, James’ crew, augmented by an embarked armed helicopter capable of disabling drug smuggling vessels from the Coast Guard’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron, successfully interdicted four drug-smuggling vessels and that seized more than 3,500 kilograms of cocaine bound for the maritime domain.

Before returning home, the James crew conducted a drug offload in Port Everglades, Florida, Wednesday. Collecting contraband from other vessels in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean, the James crew offloaded nearly 32,000 pounds of cocaine and marijuana, worth an estimated $365 million, representing several additional interdictions events by Coast Guard and Navy vessels supporting this enhanced counter-narcotics surge. This demonstrates the successful Coast Guard and Navy joint counter drug operations ongoing in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.