Coast Guard releases video, imagery of 7 ton, $187 million cocaine bust

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard released new imagery and video Monday of the seizure of seven tons of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $187 million, from a self-propelled, semi-submersible craft in the waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean Saturday.

Coast Guard law enforcement detachment 404, embarked aboard the USS McInerney, conducted a daring boarding of the SPSS under the cover of darkness, surprising the smugglers and gaining positive control of the vessel.  Boarding team members convinced the smugglers to comply with orders to close scuttling valves that threatened to send the SPSS and the evidence of smuggling – 237 bales of cocaine – to the ocean bottom.

"This was the most dangerous operation of my career," said Lt. j.g. Todd Bagetis, officer in charge of Coast Guard law enforcement detachment 404.

The 59-foot, steel and fiberglass, self-propelled, semi-submersible (SPSS) craft was first detected by a U.S. Navy aircraft.  The aircraft vectored the USS McInerney to a position near the SPSS whereupon two small boats were launched from the McInerney.  Coast Guard law enforcement detachment 404, under the cover of darkness, boarded the SPSS from the McInerney's small boats, surprising the smugglers.  When the smugglers realized the Coast Guard was on the deck of the SPSS, they reversed the engines at a high speed in an attempt to throw the boarding team into the sea.  The smugglers also attempted to scuttle the SPSS but complied with orders from the boarding team to close the valves that were flooding the SPSS.

The previously reported street value of $8.4 million was calculated using an outdated formula; the new amount more accurately reflects the estimated street value.

New video of the SPSS boarding can be viewed and downloaded at:

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php/v/video/Semi-Submersible_512K_Stream.wmv.html

New imagery from the SPSS seizure can be viewed and downloaded at:

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php/v/photography/080913-N-0000F-071.jpg.html

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php/v/photography/080913-N-0000F-087.jpg.html

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php/v/photography/080913-N-0000F-001.jpg.html

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php/v/photography/080913-N-000F-002.jpg.html

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php/v/photography/080913-N-0000F-027.jpg.html

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php/v/photography/080913-N-0000F-090.jpg.html

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php/v/photography/080913-N-0000F-107.jpg.html

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php/v/photography/080913-N-0000F-111.jpg.html

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