After 45 days and over 10,000 miles patrolling the Eastern Pacific Ocean for narcotics offenses, crew members of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast recently came back to its Astoria, Oregon homeport.
During that time, crew members boarded four suspected drug-smuggling vessels and found and took possession of over $28 million (1,675 pounds) worth of cocaine and held seven suspected narco-traffickers.
The 210-foot medium endurance cutter Steadfast also finished biennial Aviation Standardization Training, netting certification for Aerial Use of Force, and was a training platform for tactical law enforcement units from Maritime Security Response Team-West.
“The Steadfast crew, families, and friends really came together to keep spirits high while deployed over the holidays,” said Cmdr. Craig Allen, Jr., commanding officer of the Steadfast. “During the patrol, the crew displayed superb skill and professionalism in achieving a perfect detection-to-interdiction record, thus ensuring the holidays were considerably less jolly for narco-traffickers.”