Coast Guard Cutter Returns After Major Cocaine Seizure

ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) – A U.S. Coast Guard crew from Astoria has returned after a mission in which they seized nearly 4,000 pounds of cocaine worth approximately $54 million.

The U.S. Coast Guard says the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alert returned Friday following a patrol mission lasting over two months.

The crew conducted counterdrug operations in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, where teams seized the cocaine and detained six suspected drug smugglers.

Three Mexican naval officers joined the crew for the patrol to exchange lessons learned and to build cohesion.

Alert’s commanding officer Cmdr. Tyson Scofield says the crew disrupted the illegal flow of narcotics that fuels instability in Central and South America.