- Thread Author
- #1
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2023
- Messages
- 37,018
- Reaction score
- 3,028
- Trophy Points
- 180
- Location
- Philippines
- D Bucks
- 💵9.005350
- Referral Credit
- 100
According to the report, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a cartel go-fast boat carrying more than $42 million in high-purity cocaine during a high-speed chase in the eastern Pacific. What began as a routine aerial surveillance flight turned into a three-hour interdiction as an HC-130J aircraft tracked the vessel running at 52 knots with no identification signal.
The report said that a Coast Guard helicopter issued multiple warnings, but the smugglers refused to stop and opened fire with an AR-15, forcing the crew to disable all four engines with a .50-cal precision rifle. SEAL Team 8 then boarded the drifting boat from both sides, captured six cartel members alive, and neutralized an active improvised explosive device hidden inside the cargo hold.
The report added that beneath the tarp, operators uncovered hundreds of cocaine bricks tagged for transport to a larger cartel mothership offshore. After all evidence was transferred to federal custody, the unregistered smuggling vessel was destroyed under maritime law to prevent reuse. This interdiction demonstrates how the United States tracks cartel operations far beyond the coastline, combining intelligence, aviation assets, naval capability, and special forces to shut down high-value smuggling routes.
The report said that a Coast Guard helicopter issued multiple warnings, but the smugglers refused to stop and opened fire with an AR-15, forcing the crew to disable all four engines with a .50-cal precision rifle. SEAL Team 8 then boarded the drifting boat from both sides, captured six cartel members alive, and neutralized an active improvised explosive device hidden inside the cargo hold.
The report added that beneath the tarp, operators uncovered hundreds of cocaine bricks tagged for transport to a larger cartel mothership offshore. After all evidence was transferred to federal custody, the unregistered smuggling vessel was destroyed under maritime law to prevent reuse. This interdiction demonstrates how the United States tracks cartel operations far beyond the coastline, combining intelligence, aviation assets, naval capability, and special forces to shut down high-value smuggling routes.
