USS DOYLE, At Sea (NNS) -- A U.S. Coast Guard boarding team and Navy crew members operating from the USS Doyle (FFG 39) discovered more than 600 kilos of cocaine during counter-illicit trafficking (CIT) operations in the U.S. 4th Fleet (C4F) Area of Responsibility Dec. 6.
Doyle intercepted the 60-foot long fishing vessel Rio Tuira in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean approximately 180 miles off the coast of Panama. A Navy-Coast Guard boarding team recovered 22 bales of cocaine, weighing approximately 499 kilos (1,100 pounds) worth an estimated $15.4 million wholesale value.
The drugs were seized by a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment from Tactical Law Enforcement Team South. Five suspected smugglers were taken into custody. Criminal prosecution of this case will be shared between the United States and Panama.
Doyle is currently deployed under operational control to U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (COMUSNAVSO)/C4F, conducting CIT operations in support of Joint Interagency Task Force – South, U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) and U.S. Coast Guard District 11.
COMUSNAVSO is the naval component commander for USSOUTHCOM and is responsible for all naval personnel and assets in the Area of Responsibility. COMUSNAVSO conducts a variety of missions in support of the U.S. Maritime Strategy, including theater security cooperation, partnership building, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, community relations and CIT operations. U.S. law enforcement in the Eastern Pacific drug transit zone are conducted under the authority of U.S. Coast Guard District 11 headquartered in Alameda, Calif.
