SAN DIEGO — A U.S. Coast Guard cutter and boat crew recovered 77 bales of marijuana, totaling approximately 3,200 pounds, floating off the coast of Mission Beach, Wednesday.
The Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility San Diego (FACSFAC) contacted Coast Guard Sector San Diego Wednesday evening, reporting a Navy helicopter spotted several bales of marijuana floating approximately 30 nautical miles west of Mission Bay.
A Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter crew and Customs and Border Protection Blackhawk helicopter crew assisted the cutter crew in locating 72 bales. A response boat crew rendezvoused with the cutter and recovered the remaining five bales.
The drugs have been turned over to the Marine Task Force San Diego for disposal.
The source of the bales is not currently known.
The FACSFAC provides off-shore air traffic control and surveillance as well as active management of assigned airspace, operating areas, ranges, and training resources in order to support homeland defense and enhance combat readiness of U.S. Pacific Fleet units in all warfare areas.
The U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection are member agencies of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism (ReCoM). The ReCoM is comprised of the U.S. Coast Guard, CBP’s Office of Air and Marine, Office of Field Operations, U.S. Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and state and local law enforcement partners operating in the San Diego and Orange County maritime domain. The ReCoM utilizes the fusion of intelligence, planning and operations to target the threat of transnational crime along the coastal border.
If you have information about maritime smuggling or suspicious activity along the coast of Southern California, please contact the Sector San Diego U.S. Coast Guard Joint Harbor Operations Center at 800.854.9834.
Editor’s Note: Due to the bales being waterlogged the total weight of the narcotics may vary.
