This is topic Largest cocaine bust in Coast Guard history this morning in Alameda in forum General Talk at Northern California Ford Owners  .


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Posted by uh0h50 (Member # 3125) on :
 
20 tons of cocaine seized this morning off of Coast Guard Island in Alameda! Congrats to them. That's a lot of damn coke [Eek!]
oaklandtribune
 
Posted by Luke87GT (Member # 21) on :
 
Thats a damn shame... all that cocaine...

[Razz]
 
Posted by GRIGGYJAMESJIMBO (Member # 6319) on :
 
"Thats a damn shame... all that cocaine..."

Imagine if they hit only one 20 ton bust. How much more is getting in? Makes u wonder.... Thats a lot of powder man, u know at least 1 of the officers had to pocket some of that! LOL I wonder were was it coming from.... [Eek!]
 
Posted by NorCalRydaz (Member # 3233) on :
 
Probably from Peru, up through mexico then ship out from there. [Wink]
 
Posted by BlueBeast88.306 (Member # 6360) on :
 
The strange thing is there was 25 tons on the boat when it was stopped. [Big Grin]
 
Posted by Venomized93 (Member # 55) on :
 
ALAMEDA, California (Reuters) -- The U.S. Coast Guard unloaded nearly 20 tons of cocaine with a retail street value of $600 million at a California port Monday following what they called the largest drug bust at sea.

The armed Coast Guard Cutter Sherman made the bust March 17 when it stopped the Panamanian cargo ship Gatun about 20 miles off a Panamanian island.

On Monday, dozens of Coast Guard officials under heavy armed protection hauled bales of tightly wrapped packs of cocaine onto a pier at the service's West Coast command center near Oakland, California.

"It was the largest bust in U.S. history. It's the largest interdiction on the ocean," Lt. Brock Eckel, one of the officers from the Sherman who discovered the illegal drugs, said in an interview. "It was very exciting, of course. Fifteen guys moved 20 tons of contraband in five hours, so it was very exhausting."

The find aboard the Gatun, which was heading from Panama to Mexico in the Pacific Ocean, came late at night following a tip from an intelligence source, officials said.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Keith Alholm estimated the U.S. street value of the record bust at $300 million wholesale, $600 million retail.

The cargo ship's 14 crew members were Panamanians and Mexicans, who acted nervously but were not armed and offered no resistance when stopped, according to Coast Guard officials who were present during the inspection. The cargo ship also carried tiles and sand.

"If you try to fight with the U.S. Coast Guard, you come out on the losing end. It would be futile," said Charles DeMore, head of the San Francisco office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Panamanians were handed over to Panama while the Mexicans were taken into U.S. custody, Eckel said. The drugs would be transferred to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency for eventual incineration.

The Coast Guard ship had experienced mechanical difficulties during its mission and was running so low on water that the crew had stopped showering by the time of the March 17 raid, officials said.

"At the end of the day there is nothing like a good drug bust to lift everyone's spirit," said the ship's captain, Charlie Diaz. "We were, of course, elated."

The Alameda, California-based crew also made two smaller drug interdictions during their 101-day patrol at sea, officials said.

Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
 
Posted by bottled95GT?? (Member # 1772) on :
 
SOme1 is gonna lose there head for sure. [Eek!]
 




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