PORT ANGELES — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Active has concluded a 60-day counternarcotics deployment to the eastern Pacific Ocean in support of Operation Pacific Viper.
The Active’s crew of 75 Coast Guard men and women patrolled 10,000 nautical miles and interdicted two suspected drug-smuggling vessels, seizing more than 6,000 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $41.3 million.
In a 72-hour period, the Active’s crew interdicted two “go-fast” vessels, designed to evade detection, while patrolling international waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
On Nov. 25, with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter James, the Active’s pursuit team traveled more than 60 nautical miles aboard a small boat to intercept a 30-foot go-fast vessel, seizing more than 3,300 pounds of cocaine and detaining three suspected smugglers.
On Nov. 28, the Active’s crew, working with U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba, intercepted a 40-foot go-fast vessel, seizing more than 2,400 pounds of cocaine and detaining three suspected smugglers.
The seized narcotics were offloaded in San Diego, and the suspects were turned over to federal law enforcement agents.
The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for maritime law enforcement, including drug interdiction on the high seas.
The Cutter is based in Port Angeles and returned to its home port on Sunday.
The interdictions were part of Operation Pacific Viper, a Coast Guard surge operation targeting transnational criminal organizations and disrupting the flow of illegal narcotics into the United States.
“I am incredibly proud of this crew,” said Cmdr. Earl Potter, commanding officer of the Cutter Active, in a news release. “Their determination, resilience and professionalism enable us to complete these dynamic and dangerous missions at sea. The conditions are challenging, the hours are long, and the demands are high, but this team consistently maintains focus and executes with distinction. The crew’s commitment to protecting our nation and keeping drugs off our streets defines the Active’s legacy, and I know there is no finer crew than the one serving aboard Active.”
The U.S. Coast Guard’s narcotics interdiction efforts target transnational criminal organizations that are funded by drug trafficking. Deployments like the Active’s disrupt supply networks in Central and South America. The Active’s success demonstrates the impact a single Coast Guard unit can have when working with interagency and foreign partners, the agency said.
The Active, nicknamed “Lil Tough Guy,” supports the Coast Guard’s law enforcement, living marine resource protection, and search and rescue missions. Commissioned in 1966, it is one of two medium endurance cutters homeported on the West Coast and is the oldest major cutter in the Pacific Area.
