Coast Guard interdicts 2 suspected smugglers, seizes 1,446 lbs of marijuana west of Oceanside

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 11th District PA Detachment San Diego Contact: Coast Guard PA Detachment San Diego Office: (619) 278-7025 After Hours: (619) 252-1304 PA Detachment San Diego online newsroom

Coast Guard interdicts 2 suspected smugglers, seizes 1,446 lbs of marijuana west of Oceanside

SAN DIEGO — The Coast Guard interdicted two suspected smugglers and seized 1,446 pounds of marijuana west of Oceanside, Sunday. 

A Customs and Border Protection's Air and Marine Operation aircraft located a recreational vessel at approximately 12:25 a.m., and vectored in the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Active (WMEC-618) and a Coast Guard Sector San Diego MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter.

At approximately 5:15 a.m., Active’s crew conducted a boarding of the vessel.

Once aboard, Active’s boarding team discovered multiple packages which later field-tested positive for marijuana.

Active’s crew placed both crewmembers into custody. Both suspects, the contraband and vessel, were then transferred to Homeland Security Investigations Marine Task Force, pending prosecution in San Diego.

The San Diego Regional Coordinating Mechanism is comprised of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations, Air and Marine Operations, U.S. Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Coast Guard and other federal, state and local partners. Collectively, these regional partners conduct interagency operational planning and leverage agency authorities and jurisdictions to combat threat networks that seek to exploit the maritime approaches to the U.S.

The Active is a 210-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Port Angeles, Washington.

-USCG-