Feb. 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. Coast Guard in San Diego said on Thursday that it offloaded more than 37,000 pounds of cocaine from nearly a dozen smuggling interdictions from December through February worth $275 million.
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche offloaded the drugs in San Diego after encounters off the coast of Mexico as well as and Central and South America.
"The Waesche crew faced numerous challenges during this patrol, overcoming the hardest adversities and still had 11 successful drug interdictions," Coast Guard Capt. Tyson Scofield, commander of the Waeshe said in a statement.
"Their dedication, strength of character, and resilience ensured the success of our mission, preventing over $275 million worth of illicit narcotics from reaching the United States and protecting our communities from the devastating effects of transnational crime."
The Coast Guard said the departments of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security also contributed to the operation. The branch also received contributions from the Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"The fight against drug cartels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean requires unity of effort in all phases, from detection, monitoring, and interdictions to criminal prosecutions by international partners and U.S. Attorneys' Offices in districts across the nation," the Coast Guard said in a statement.
