A United States Coast Guard cutter seized 1,025 kilograms of cocaine and trained with naval forces from two key Latin American partners during a recent 45-day voyage. The cutter USCG Alert netted the narcotic haul during a Caribbean patrol before traveling through the Panama Canal and participating in a national security operation in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
During the mission, the Alert made a port visit in Costa Rica and trained with Costa Rican and Panamanian naval forces. While at sea, crew members missed holiday celebrations back home but never wavered in their mission, their commander said. “I am immensely proud of my crew’s unwavering dedication,” said Coast Guard Cmdr. Mario Gil, the ship’s commanding officer. “Time spent away from family and missed holidays represents a significant sacrifice, which makes their commitment to combating narco-terrorism and protecting our nation’s borders from illicit drugs all the more commendable, as demonstrated by the extraordinary success of this patrol,” a Coast Guard news release stated.
The cutter was operating in the Coast Guard’s Southeastern District when it intercepted a smuggling vessel in the Windward Passage between eastern Cuba and northwestern Haiti. Crew members seized $18.4 million in cocaine along with 7 pounds of marijuana valued at $7,000 and an illegal firearm. Four suspected smugglers were transferred to The Bahamas for prosecution, the release stated.
While in the region, the Alert participated in Operation Vigilant Sentry to deter unsafe and illegal migration in the seas near Haiti. Operation Vigilant Sentry began in 2004 and deploys joint air and surface assets and personnel to counter illegal maritime migration in the southeastern approaches to the U.S. The operation’s objective is to deter mass maritime migration in collaboration with regional partners while protecting lives of migrants and others who often undertake their journeys in aging, unsafe watercraft, according to the Coast Guard.
While crossing the Panama Canal, the Alert hosted eight members from Panama’s National Aeronaval Service and Joint Maritime Force-Panama for joint training on best practices to counter narcotics trafficking. A highlight involved simulated joint drug interdictions. The drills bolstered a 2002 agreement between the U.S. and Panama — the Salas-Becker Complementary Agreement — that created a framework of bilateral cooperation to deter maritime and drug trafficking at sea. While in Panama, the Alert also hosted the U.S. ambassador to Panama, Kevin Marino Cabrera, for a tour of the cutter, a briefing on its operations and a Miami-style lunch prepared by the cutter’s cooks.
While on patrol in the eastern Pacific, the Alert stopped in Golfito, Costa Rica, for a professional exchange with the Costa Rican Coast Guard, which included the Alert’s embarked MH-65 Dolphin helicopter. “The visit fostered joint nation inoperability and strengthened international counter-drug efforts in the region,” the release stated. During its eastern Pacific mission, the Alert also boarded multiple vessels in the region. The long holiday voyage ended on a bright note. Crew members earned the title of shellback for crossing the Equator, a rare honor for the Coast Guardsmen, the release stated.
The Alert is one of the Coast Guard’s oldest serving cutters. The last Medium Endurance Cutter to be built, the Alert entered service in 1969. The 64-meter vessel was stationed for many years in Astoria, Oregon, before being transferred to its new home port in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in 2024, according to the Coast Guard.