The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter James was loaded with approximately 16 tons of cocaine, worth an estimated $420 million, that was seized in international waters.
The drugs were seized in 17 separate suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions in the eastern Pacific along the coasts of Central and South America by Coast Guard and Canadian ships.
The cutter James and the agency’s helicopter interdiction squad were responsible for five seizures, netting an estimated 5.19 tons of cocaine.