The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tampa is back home in Portsmouth after a 74-day deployment that included what authorities are calling a major disruption of the international cocaine trade.
Family members and supporters welcomed the crew back to Hampton Roads on Saturday, marking the end of a patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean where sailors played a direct role in stopping large-scale drug shipments bound for the United States.
On Thursday at Coast Guard Base Miami Beach, the Tampa’s crew offloaded approximately 3,825 pounds of cocaine, worth more than $28.7 million. Officials say that amount of cocaine is enough to kill more than 1.4 million people.
The drugs were seized during two separate interdictions in international waters as part of a multi-agency effort targeting one of the world’s most active drug trafficking corridors. The operation focuses on stopping cocaine shipments moving from Central and South America before they can reach U.S. shores.
Cmdr. Joshua DiPietro, the ship’s commanding officer, credited the crew’s determination for the successful mission.
“This crew’s performance over the last 74 days has been nothing short of phenomenal,” DiPietro said. “Their teamwork during complex operations was truly impressive. They met every challenge head-on, working seamlessly with our partner agencies and international allies to disrupt transnational criminal organizations.”
Officials estimate that roughly 80% of drug interdictions happen at sea, making deployments like Tampa’s a key line of defense against transnational criminal organizations.
Since early August, the Coast Guard has seized more than 215,000 pounds of cocaine and detained dozens of suspected traffickers.