Coast Guard, Marine Corps Rack Up Drug-Smuggling Busts in Eastern Pacific

September 25 ------ The U.S. Coast Guard continues to patrol the Eastern Pacific for cocaine smugglers, and it is finding them. In a six-day period, cutter USCGC Tampa intercepted four drug boats carrying a combined load of more than 25,000 pounds of cocaine, plus smuggling suspects.

The first suspect boat was carrying 6,800 pounds; four days later, Tampa caught two boats with a combined 15,000 pounds; and the next day, a fourth boat with another 3,400 pounds. One example was a three-outboard go-fast with a vast supply of extra fuel, stored informally in containers on deck.

The busts brought the total for the service's "Pacific Viper" interdiction program to 260,000 pounds - a strong showing for the Coast Guard, despite competition from the Air Force / Special Operations-led lethal strike campaign, which targets the same set of illicit activity.

Separately, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps - under the command of U.S. Southern Command - have been intercepting drug running gangs' at-sea fueling stations off the coast of Ecuador. These are larger local fishing vessels that have been fitted out to carry gasoline for the go-fast smuggling boats that operate along the South America-to-Central America route. Supported by helicopter gunships and at least one amphib, Marine Corps boarding teams have been intercepting these boats, evacuating their crews and then destroying the drifting hulls - often with chaingun (minigun) fire, a target-practice opportunity.

Southcom also continues its parallel program of lethal strikes, notably in the Caribbean, where it recently recorded its 70th publicly-acknowledged attack on a suspected smuggling vessel. The latest strike killed three people, the command reported.

Source: maritime-executive.com