LOS ANGELES – The United States Coast Guard announced that it seized nearly 34,000 pounds of cocaine — worth $468 million — in multiple incidents over the span of a month. The Coast Guard offloaded the tons of cocaine in San Diego on Tuesday.
The drugs were seized in seven separate busts off the coast of Mexico and Central and South America between Feb. 21 and March 23, the Coast Guard said, including a bust on March 17 where Coast Guardsman seized nearly 8,000 pounds of drugs.
“I am extremely proud of this crew and their dedication to disrupting organized crime in the Eastern Pacific,” Rear Admiral Andrew Sugimoto said. “The effort put in while interdicting more than 33,000 lbs of cocaine in a few weeks’ time is unparalleled.”
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All eight busts were made by the Coast Guard Cutter Munro. Capt. Rula Deisher, the commanding officer of the Munro, said she “couldn’t be prouder of them. Their dedication and grit goes to show that Munro is one of the best national security cutters in the fleet, and we are committed to keeping the country safe by stopping illegal drugs before they hit the street.”
Here’s when the drugs were seized and how much:
- Feb. 21 — 3,946 pounds of cocaine
- Feb. 24 — 3,803 pounds of cocaine
- Feb. 26 — 3,108 pounds of cocaine
- March 10 — 4,709 pounds of cocaine
- March 17 — 7,852 pounds of cocaine
- March 18 — 2,841 pounds of cocaine
- March 23 — 4,784 pounds of cocaine