How the Coast Guard uses "disabling fire" to stop alleged drug boats

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A U.S. Coast Guard unit seized implicit 5,000 pounds of cocaine from vessels successful the Eastern Pacific Ocean, continuing a trend of large busts from non-lethal operations successful the area.

The unit of the unit of the USCG Cutter Active offloaded implicit 27,000 pounds of cocaine successful San Diego, California connected Monday. The bulk of the drugs came from a seizure carried retired by the unit of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro. Earlier successful December, the unit of the Munro worked with USCG aerial forces to disable a go-fast vas that had much than 20,000 pounds of drugs aboard. It was the largest single-boat seizure successful astir 20 years.

The unit of the Active besides stopped 2 go-fast boats successful the Eastern Pacific Ocean, according to Cmdr. Earl Potter, the vessel's commanding officer. Potter said that each go-fast vessel had 3 "suspected narcoterrorists" aboard. He did not accidental what happened to the suspects.

CBS affiliate KFMB reported that 12 radical were arrested arsenic portion of the seizures and present look national cause charges.

Rear Adm. Jeffrey Novak, the lawman commandant of the Coast Guard Pacific Area, told KFMB that the bureau works to disable boats and prehend the drugs and radical aboard.

"We utilize our craft to effort and interdict," Novak told KFMB. "We person the quality to telephone a non-compliant vas and usage unit from an aircraft. We tin occurrence informing shots and past disabling occurrence to sprout retired the engines of the accelerated vessel."

The drugs seized by the crews of the Active and the Munro had a combined worth of $203.9 million, the Coast Guard said connected societal media. Potter said the unit of the Active had "certainly earned" its nickname of "Little Tough Guy."

"I'm astir arrogant of the unit for their ingenuity, their perseverance and their can-do attitude, the mode they look done the hardest of days and support the ngo astatine the forefront of their thoughts," Potter said successful a video shared by the Coast Guard.

The U.S. authorities and different authorities person agelong fought to halt boats carrying drugs from Central and South America. The interdictions by the Active and the Munro were conducted arsenic portion of Operation Pacific Viper, wherever Coast Guard assets person been surged to the Eastern Pacific to effort to disrupt cause smuggling.

The Trump medication has targeted immoderate alleged cause vessels with lethal strikes, killing dozens and drafting controversy. The medication has defended the strikes adjacent arsenic some questioned their legality, particularly aft a second onslaught was conducted on survivors of an incidental connected Sept. 2.