$200M In Seized Drugs Offloaded, Coast Guard Reports

ALAMEDA, CA — Coast Guard and Navy personnel offloaded 11,400 pounds of cocaine and 9,000 pounds of marijuana at the beginning of the month, amounting to more than $200 million from seizures in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

The law enforcement phase of counter-smuggling operations in the Eastern Pacific is conducted under the authority of the 11th Coast Guard District, headquartered in Alameda.

"When you are covering a drug-smuggling transit zone the size of the continental United States, every ship makes a huge difference," said Lt. Jonathan Dietrich. "The seamless integration between our Law Enforcement Detachment and the crew of the USS Gabrielle Giffords was a major reason why we were successful in interdicting such a large amount of drugs and prevent them from reaching our streets."

The Coast Guard narcotics interdiction efforts are aimed at thwarting transnational criminal organizations, which are fueled by drug trafficking money. Operations like these attack supply networks in Central and South America.

In addition to the Coast Guard and Navy, the other agencies involved include Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Departments of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security, and international partner agencies.