MIAMI, Florida – The United States Coast Guard busted drug smuggling operations off the coast of Costa Rica worth more than $118 million last month.
The operation, led by the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant, occurred during a 40-day tour of the western Caribbean Sea that included joint anti-narcotics operations with the Honduran and Colombian militaries.
According to coast guard officials, the Vigilant’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron helicopter crew intervened on two suspected drug boats, shooting out the engines and disabling the vessels.
The Coast Guard’s 7th District Petty Officer Third Class Brandon Murray said that, along with a third vessel, the busts yielded about 6,800 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated wholesale value of $118.3 million.
The operation was part of an enhanced counter-narcotics efforts by the U.S. military in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.
