The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Seneca recently offloaded in Port Everglades approximately 17,750 pounds of cocaine worth more than $133.5 million that had been seized during four interdictions in international waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
“I am extremely proud of the crew’s incredible performance and adaptability during this deployment,” Capt. Lee Jones, Coast Guard Cutter Seneca commanding officer, said. “This deployment demonstrates our enhanced posture and continued success in the fight against narco-terrorism and transnational criminal organizations. The Coast Guard, in conjunction with our inter-agency and international partners, continues to patrol areas commonly associated with drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific, denying smugglers access to maritime routes by which they move illicit drugs to our U.S. land and sea borders.”
The Coast Guard is involved in Operation Pacific Viper, a counter-drug operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Interagency Task Force-South conducts the detection and monitoring of aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs. The U.S. Coast Guard performs the law enforcement phase of the operation under the authority and control of the Coast Guard’s Southwest District.
Seneca is a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, Va., under U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command.