U.S. Coast Guard Catches Three Cocaine Boats in a Day Off Cartagena
While U.S. Southern Command continues to strike suspected drug-running boats with lethal munitions, the U.S. Coast Guard is still running its traditional law-enforcement operation in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, netting tens of millions of dollars' worth of cocaine each month by using boarding teams and interagency partnerships. The latest example is the success of USCGC Tahoma, which recently interdicted three separate smuggling boats off the coast of Colombia in a single day.
On May 8, Tahoma encountered three boats at a position about 90 nautical miles off Cartagena. The crew launched two pursuit boats and their embarked helicopter aircrew, operated by a Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) sniper team. Two of the suspect boats stopped when directed by the Tahoma's boat crews; the third vessel refused to comply, so the HITRON aircrew compelled it to stop by shooting out its engines. The occupants of the boat abandoned ship, and instead of neutralizing them, the Coast Guard aircrew deployed life floats so that the survivors could be rescued, detained and questioned. All were retrieved with no injuries reported.
In total, the Tahoma's crew captured about 2.8 tonnes of cocaine valued at roughly $45 million - enough for about 2.3 million street doses, the service estimated.
"Interdicting three vessels simultaneously is a testament to the unwavering professionalism, precision, and dedication of our crews," said Cmdr. Nolan Cuevas, Tahoma’s commanding officer. "This interdiction prevented a significant number of illegal narcotics from reaching America’s shores, and their teamwork underscores the Coast Guard’s mission to protect our nation and saving lives."
Tahoma is scheduled to offload the cargo - and other drugs - at Port Everglades on Thursday.
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According to the Coast Guard, its cutter crews seized more than 500,000 pounds (230 tonnes) of cocaine last year, more than three times its previous annual average. For perspective on value added, these at-sea interdictions would be enough to pay for the Coast Guard's entire $25 billion recapitalization program if sold into the high-value, high-volume Australian market. They account for about 80 percent of all U.S.-bound drug interdictions.
Within the administration, opinions differ on the relative merits of airstrike neutralization or live capture when dealing with drug smuggling suspects. Many career counternarcotics officers prefer an arrest for practical purposes, as a living boat operator can be captured, interrogated and "rolled up" into an investigation targeting higher-level cartel members. A deceased or lost-at-sea suspect is no longer a source of information. The Pentagon's leadership has strongly favored kinetic strike methods; Southcom chief Gen. Francis L. Donovan (USMC) has expressed a preference for nonlethal options, and recently told the Senate Armed Services Committee that airstrikes "aren't the answer" to combating cartels. Throughout, the Coast Guard has maintained its traditional law enforcement rules of engagement, augmented with increased resourcing for extra drug busts.
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