Coast Guard Video: The Coast
Guard offloaded more than
40,000 pounds of cocaine worth
an estimated $500 million from
cutter Sherman here April 23,
2007, seized by the crew in
three busts near Central
America in February and March.

The offload will include
approximately 38,000 pounds of
cocaine seized in the largest
cocai
more

Coast Guard Video: The Coast
Guard offloaded more than
40,000 pounds of cocaine worth
an estimated $500 million from
cutter Sherman here April 23,
2007, seized by the crew in
three busts near Central
America in February and March.

The offload will include
approximately 38,000 pounds of
cocaine seized in the largest
cocaine bust in maritime
history.

The Ecuadorian-flagged fishing
vessel Don Juan K was
approached in the Pacific
Ocean Feb. 19 off the coast of
Mexico while allegedly
offloading cocaine into
'go-fast' (cigarette-style
boat) boats. The fishing
vessel's crew apparently set
fire to Don Juan K in an
attempt to destroy the
evidence and flee in the
go-fasts. Sherman's crew
stopped the go-fasts and
recovered about 900 pounds of
cocaine as Don Juan K sank.
The 14 crew members are being
processed for further legal
action.

The 330-foot
Panamanian-flagged motor
vessel Gatun was interdicted
in the Pacific Ocean Mar. 18
off the coast of Panama while
heading north toward the
United States. Sherman's crew
stopped and boarded the vessel
and found 765 bales of cocaine
weighing approximately 38,000
pounds in two shipping
containers. Gatun was
escorted back to Panama and
its 14 crew members processed
for further legal action.

Sherman's crew stopped and
boarded a small stateless
go-fast in the Pacific Ocean
Mar. 25 off the coast of
Panama following a short
chase, in which, the go-fast
attempted to flee at a high
rate of speed. Approximately
2000 pounds of cocaine was
found aboard the go-fast and
its four crew members were
processed for further legal
action.

The Coast Guard works in close
coordination with Joint
Interagency Task Force South,
U.S. Attorney's office, Panama
Express South, DEA, FBI,
Bureau of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, and
Customs and Border Protection,
as well as the Departments of
Justice, State and Homeland
Security on counter drug
operations in the Pacific
Ocean near Central and South
America. These drug smuggling
routes are some of the most
active, yielding roughly 70%
of the cocaine seized annually
by the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard has kept
about two million pounds of
cocaine from reaching
America's streets since 1973.

Category Entertainment

Tags cocaine, Coast, Guard, 378, Alameda, Sherman, drugs