Archive image: An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter operating as Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) lifts off the deck of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Active (WMEC 618) off the West Coast of Mexico, Feb. 24, 2023.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin Upshaw.
MIAMI — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Bear (WMEC 901) offloaded more than 14,153 pounds of narcotics (cocaine) worth more than $186 million in Miami. Friday, June 16, 2023.
The offloaded drugs were interdicted during nine separate cases in the international waters of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean as a result of efforts by crews from:
- U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team-Pacific
- U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team-South
«The contraband offloaded today represents the professional expertise and dedication of U.S. defense and law enforcement agencies working together to combat the flow of illicit drugs through the Caribbean Region into the United States,» said Lt. Peter Hutchison, duty enforcement officer at Coast Guard 7th District. «This teamwork is imperative to the identification, interception, and seizure of vessels engaged in illicit trafficking and a testament to the hard work of these crews.»
The illegal narcotics were offloaded by the crew of the USCGC Bear at Miami, Florida, June 16, 2023.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class John Roberts.
Along with the illicit narcotics, 12 suspected smugglers were apprehended and face prosecution in federal courts by the Department of Justice.
Detecting and interdicting illegal drug traffickers on the high seas involves significant interagency and international coordination. The Joint Interagency Task Force South in Key West, Florida conducts detection and monitoring of aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs. Once interdiction becomes imminent, the law enforcement phase of the operation begins, and control of the operation shifts to the U.S. Coast Guard throughout the interdiction and apprehension. Interdictions in the Caribbean Sea are performed by members of the U.S. Coast Guard under the authority and control of the Coast Guard’s 7th District, headquartered in Miami.
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The cutter was formally commissioned on February 4, 1983 and is the first of thirteen ‘Famous Class’ 270-foot medium endurance cutters.
U.S. Coast Guard photo.
