$338 Million Worth of Drugs Seized Monday off the Coast

Monday morning, San Diego officials announced their impressive capture of over $300 million worth of black-market cocaine. The cocaine, which estimated to be over $338 million on the black market, was seized from smugglers in the Pacific Ocean over two months, reported the U.S. Coast Guard.

Over 20,000 pounds of cocaine, seized in mid-November and mid-January in eastern Pacific waters, were then dumped from the Coast Guard Cutter Munro at Naval Base San Diego on this morning.

Multiple Bags of cocaine were stacked on 19 wooden pallets to be transported off of the vessel. The heaps of drugs surrounded Coast Guard leaders as they congratulated their crews at a press conference.

"Life underway means missing things like birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions, and for this patrol, it meant this crew is missing Christmas and New Year's. But that time away was worth it as it allowed Munro to destruct the cycle of violence and crime that comes from the tri-national narcotics trade," announced Capt. Jim Estramonte, Commanding Officer of Cutter Munro.

Over the two months, four separate Coast Guard crews obstructed eight suspected drug smuggling attempts. Each stop prevented anywhere from 1,950 to 6,830 pounds of cocaine getting into the streets of Southern California.

According to a crew member, the team targeted fast boats or panga boats and prevented the cocaine in adrenaline-filled busts.

"It's exhilarating. We're out here doing a great duty, helping people out, stopping the bad guys," the crew member stated. "It's a privilege being aboard this boat and with the Coast Guard doing this."

During the missions, the crews were placed off coasts of Mexico, Central, and Southern America in connection with the anti-trafficking Campaign Martillo, the agency said.

Last year, Cutter Munro was honored by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence for conducting the most massive interception in four years. Munro seized over 17,000 pounds of cocaine worth more than $4.2 billion in its first shipment to the eastern Pacific.

According to Pence, it was the largest cocaine seizure in U.S. Customs and Border Protection records.

Various U.S. and international agencies partner with the coast guard in these missions, which involve detection, monitoring, and interdictions. The events are then prosecuted criminally by U.S. Attorney's Offices in Florida and Texas.

The reports from the Coast Guard state, four cutter crews seized the following amounts of cocaine:

• The Thetis had two cases and seized 6,830 pounds;
• The Resolute had one claim and took 1,951 pounds;
• The Tampa had two trials and intercepted 4,270 pounds; and
• The Munro had three cases and seized 6,680 pounds.