The USS Cole recently deployed to the Caribbean region to support homeland defense efforts related to the Mexico-U.S. border and sea approaches. UNITED STATES NAVY SOUTH/4TH FLEET
THE WATCH STAFF
A United States Navy ship, which was recently deployed to the Caribbean region to support homeland defense efforts related to the Mexico-U.S. border and sea approaches, accepted a large seizure of contraband from a Royal Canadian Navy ship before transferring it onto a U.S. Coast Guard cutter in June 2025.
The USS Cole, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, met up with His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) William Hall on June 9 in the Caribbean, just four days after the Cole departed Naval Air Station Mayport near Jacksonville, Florida. The Cole’s crew accepted 245 kilograms of contraband from the William Hall, an arctic offshore patrol vessel, according to a U.S. Northern Command news release. The Cole carries a Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET), Guardsmen who legally can seize contraband. Two days later, the Cole transferred the contraband to the Coast Guard cutter Vigorous during a rendezvous in the Caribbean. The contraband was first detected by Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) South, which leads efforts against drug trafficking in the region. “The Cole, with the embarked LEDET, provides a combination of U.S. Navy endurance, range, and capability with USCG law enforcement authorities, increasing protection to the U.S. southern border’s maritime approach,” the release stated.
The Cole recently relieved the USS Gravely, which conducted its own drug bust in May 2025 when the 155-meter vessel with an embedded LEDET disrupted a drug-smuggling operation, seizing nine bales of cocaine weighing more than 400 kilograms and worth $13.7 million. P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol planes spotted the vessel on May 25, and a LEDET team boarded it soon afterward, according to military releases.
Just four days after the Gravely’s bust, HMCS William Hall, which also carries a U.S. Coast Guard LEDET, seized more than 1,300 kilograms of cocaine in the Caribbean. During two separate maritime patrols, HMCS William Hall deployed multirole rescue boats to intercept vessels of interest in the Caribbean Sea, resulting in the seizures. “These successful interdictions underscore the enduring collaboration and interoperability between the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and USCG and support international efforts to prevent the flow of illicit substances into Canada and North America,” according to a news release from Canada’s Department of National Defence.
Canada’s contribution to JIATF South is a long-standing collaboration with the U.S. military and demonstrates its commitment to protect North America from illegal activities along the southern approaches to the continent. “This collective effort enables us to achieve greater success in making the continent more secure from the threats posed by illicit trafficking and supports broader efforts to enhance regional and continental security,” read the news release from Canada’s National Defence Department.