A big haul of cocaine and cannabis seized from vessels in the Eastern Pacific was offloaded from a U.S. Coast Guard cutter in San Diego Bay on Thursday.
The 11,300 pounds (5,125 kilograms) of cocaine and more than 4,000 pounds (1,814 kilograms) of cannabis valued at about $223 million were seized in eight interdictions on the high seas, the Coast Guard said.
The interdictions were conducted by the U.S. cutters Kimball, Legare and Spencer, and the Canadian vessel HMCS Yellowknife. The Honolulu-based Kimball brought the contraband to San Diego.
“Illicit drugs cost our country nearly $200 billion every year in crime, health, safety and lost productivity,” Vice Adm. Michael McAllister, the Coast Guard's Pacific area commander, told a dockside press conference.
“But it's not just about keeping drugs off the streets of our country,” he said. “Our combined operations provide important contributions to regional stability in Central and South America, and very broad security implications all along our southwest border.”
Capt. Thomas D'Arcy, commander of the Kimball, said 15 individuals were detained during the seizures.
