Monday, February 24, 2014

Coast Guard Captures $37 million Worth of Cocaine

Interesting story concerning Coast Guard at work to stop drug smugglers. Enjoy! Dr. G. http://news.yahoo.com/seafaring-drug-smugglers-challenging-coast-guard-061558405.html?vp=1

21 comments:

  1. This story about the Coast Guard is a story that most people don’t even think about, most people hear that they are working to protect our borders but you never hear to what extent. For the type of bust that the got, these guys could get a bounty on their head by the cartel but yet they keep going out every day. The fact that Coast Guard only lost one man during these action is not only showing the dangers of the missions that they carry out, but also professionalism to how they handle each one that is given to them because they could easily have lost more than the one. This is a testament that they are dealing a significant blow to the drug trafficking business and hitting them were it really hurts the most, which is there wallet. These sailors are the first line of defense to this nation and if it wasn’t for them, the cartel could easily rule this nation just like they rule the country that they are operating from.

    ReplyDelete
  2. After reading this story, i truly believe that lawmakers should consider taking a closer look and paying more attention to smuggling that is taking place through the seas. A bust like this is a great accomplishment for the U.S. and the Coast guard which is doing their best. Drug smugglers are going to consider transporting their drugs through sea on waters or in the air due to the fact that in the border it is getting harder due to the more security that the U.S. has enforced. Having budget cuts and reducing operating costs isn't a very good idea at this point. The coast guard at this point is really in need of more navy ships and planes in order to be more succesful in securing more miles in these huge bodies of water. The more time that they spend in air or on water the better and greater chances that they have in being succesful capturing drug smugglers through the seas. If the government is really trying to bust 40% of drugs that are entering the U.S., they should consider providing more money to these agencies.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have always been interested in how the Coast Guard works and this is a cool accomplishment. According to the Coast Guard statistics, the authorities stopped some 194,000 pounds of cocaine last fiscal year more than 40,000 pounds less than in 2012. That's pretty impressive. I don't understand why drugs need to be transported because they're bad for you, and the Coast Guard could definitely use a lot more ships and planes to be more successful for sure. This is definitely a dangerous mission for the Coast Guards and they are doing their best to protect our nation.

    ReplyDelete
  4. There are so many methods to try to stop drug trafficking on land but not enough to stop drug trafficking out in the ocean. Since there are so many budget cuts in the Coast Guard, I can see how it is more difficult for them to try to fight against these people. If they don't have the resources necessary to stay our in the water at all times, it's easy for traffickers to find an open time slot to get around them. There are no fences or borders that clearly separate the water so it is extremely hard to keep people out. Some countries won't allow the coast guard to enter their waters without permission, which wastes crucial time they could use to capture the traffickers. There are people losing their lives trying to stop the war on drugs and yet they can't even provide more money for the Coast Guard. I don't see how the government expects for them to do so much with such little resources.

    ReplyDelete
  5. After reading this article it amazes me simply that 20% of US drugs come from Mexico. It makes me think about all the young children who have access to drugs starting at the ages of just 10 years old. (MIddle School) i have personally seen young children like this do drugs at this young. And do you think they know what those drugs really means? That people are being killed, innocent kid like themselves all to transport drugs from Mexico to US...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Reading this story is showing that coast Guards are really doing their job in battle ling drug trafficking overseas. Drug cartels are coming up with different ideas every day In how they can sell the drug to get their profits. Having budget cuts and reducing personnel in borers or coast guard is not a good idea, especially when they contribute to something big like this. Considering that they are taking alternative ways rather than just land we should consider putting more ships and planes to watch over our seas. There are so many methods of transporting these goods that they only look into helping the border patrols and not considering that the coast guards have helps tremendously by capturing thousands of drugs in the past years.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Coast Guard catches 37 million in cocaine article was not directly dealing with gangs however it is gang related, drugs as we all know are how gangs make their money. I had not realized how much of the budget was cut concerning the coast guard and military till I read this article. It makes the jobs of the men and women there even harder when they do not have the resources to fight the criminals. What we have with this particular problem is congresses lack of knowledge on just how serious the problem is. Another factor is supply and demand the drugs coming from other poor countries such as South America know that we will buy it. In these poorer countries it is how they make their living, heck it’s even the way some people here in the US make their money. Now with the budgets being cut and less being seized I am sure the stupid people in congress will say that the cuts have not hurt us, what they do not realize is that most of those drugs made it to shore and are being distributed amongst our streets that is why they are not counted. As a result of this our gangs will continue to thrive upon the illegal sale of narcotics. This is a vicious cycle with no end. If programs are cut the gangs will benefit

    ReplyDelete
  8. After reading this article I believe the coast Guards are doing there job and stopping the drugs getting in the U.S. And with the budget cut that is happening to the coast Guards will make it even harder to stop the drugs from coming in because the drug lords are getting smarter with how they get the drugs into the United states with a 8 man underwater sub. With the coast guards doing everything they can to stop them drugs from coming in the fact that there is a budget cut is making it even harder for them to do so. The drug lords are the ones that are really benefiting from the budget cut that the coast guards are taking.

    ReplyDelete
  9. In order to win the war on drugs in America, we must protect all fronts. In putting most effort’s on border control, and choosing to be oblivious of sea trafficking, is not the correct approach to this escalating problem. By protecting one side of your house and leaving the other exposed, this defeats its own purpose. The cartel, an organization responsible for this trafficking, is a multibillion dollar industry. They go above and beyond in keeping their business running, hence new ways of smuggling and manipulating the law by land or sea. In terms of sea trafficking, generally today’s major form of trafficking, must receive attention now. Our government needs pass legislation protecting America’s gates at sea. Our men and women in the coast guard need appropriate backing in order to sufficiently do their jobs. Once the Gov. learns to appropriately manage funds in regards to our national gates, will we be able to actually have a fighting chance in the war on drugs.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Joyce Shelby
    Criminal Justice
    March 6, 2014


    Seafaring drug smugglers challenging Coast Guard

    While security has tightened at the U.S. border, drug smugglers are increasingly turning to the high seas. Drugs dealer don’t care how they get these drugs in, we’re spending billions to stop marijuana from entering the country while simultaneously legalizing it today. The supply will never go away because the demand won't. American drugs addicted need to stop using drugs. That is the only way they stop bringing the substances to USA. The cartels have far more cash available to try to get it here then we have to attempt to stop it,our government needs pass legislation protecting America’s gates at sea. Our men and women in the coast guard need appropriate backing in order to sufficiently do their jobs.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This story focuses mostly on the fact that drug trafficking is increasing and they are finding new ways to smuggle it over here. You would think the U.S. government would react swiftly to this especially considering our strong stance on drugs. Looks like they don't plan on taking care of business as much as we thought with the budget cuts. "Drug traffickers continue to find new ways to circumvent our laws," Engel said. "Unfortunately, Congress's draconian budget cuts have made the Coast Guard's ability to collect intelligence on and interdict drug traffickers increasingly difficult."

    ReplyDelete
  12. I believe just like the Coast Guard's top officer, Adm. Robert stated that due to the cuts that the government has imposed drugs smuggling continues to be a problem. This problem will not go away if there isn’t enough manpower to guard the high seas. Either the government wants to put an end to drug trafficking or they don’t, reducing the budget and the necessary equipment to control this problem is not the answer. Also stepping into unchartered waters, by the time the Coast Guard is granted permission, the drug traffickers have already made their mark. I know , maybe in the near future we all (all countries) will be able to band together and put a stop to all of this nonsense. Until then the Coast Guard can only do what they are allowed to do.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The Cost Guard is so brave; these guys are out there every day risking their lives and even their family’s lives. The amount of drug bust they make a year is incredible. Like the article says they drug cartels are finding other ways of smuggling drugs to the United States other than just by land. They use ships, planes; they use everything they can get their hands on. The cartels have lots of money, I’m sure one of this bust is not going to hurt much ecumenically but it will surely hurt their pride. I hope they keep the good job up of busting drug smugglers so the drug carters can think twice about where and how they are sending they merchandise to foreign countries. This will make their life’s a little harder.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I am greatly alarmed in what will happen if we pull back the coast guard. I understand we need to make budget cuts but to make them on such a resourcefull program we are just asking for a bigger drug problem and it will lead to a major upheaval all over the U.S. I think the government need to reassess the need we have for the coast guard and make budget cuts elsewhere. They are making headway in the war against drug trafficking so I think cuts elsewhere would be a better decission. I feel like it is working productively and that if anything we should add more troops so that we can get a better bite into the drugs being smuggled into the U.S. It is definately doing its job but with a little more assistance we could take a real bite out of the drugs being smuggled by sea. We have help in other places against drugs we just need to get a bigger handle on where the majority of the drugs are coming from and that is they are being smuggled in by water. Come on government lets cut funding somewhere else that is less resourcefull.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The Coast Guard is amazing, they are not only risking their lives but they are also working extremely hard to stop drug smuggling. I really do not understand why the government decided to cut the Coast Guards budget when drug trafficking is a big issue in the U.S. By doing that we are definitely not going to see a change in the drug trafficking issue because the Coast Guard is not able to purchase the necessary equipment to keep securing the seas. In order to have more people from the Coast Guard in the air or on the water they need more money, which will increase the chances of drug smuggler getting capture.

    ReplyDelete
  16. After reading this article, I believe the Coast Guard is doing an awesome job. They lost only one man in the seizing of $37 million worth of cocaine. This does not only show the risks of these operations, but also the expertise to how they handle each one that is given to them because they could have easily lost more than just one man. On the other side of things how many ships do they not bust that could have this same amount of drugs on them. I bet there are plenty of ships a year come through the sea, and they only catch some of them. The Coast Guard is our main, and most of the time, only way of catching these guys that try and transport drugs through the sea. I feel like we need more boats and planes out there covering the big bodies of water, to try and stop even more drugs from entering the U.S.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The involvement of the Coast Guard in protecting our borders from illegal trafficking is highly unknown to most people. My cousin is actually a pilot for the unit HITRON of the Coast Guard who are involved in intercepting drugs being smuggled by boats. He's told me some interesting things, and from reading other articles also, one can tell that the budget cuts are not stopping but hindering their effectiveness. From what I understand even most of the helicopters used by these units are of older models. It only displays that the men and women involved in this have some of the utmost professionalism in doing their jobs. Even with cutbacks, they are still able to intercept and attain a significant amount of the traffic being pushed. In the article they bring light to the finite areas one can smuggle through land, but in the water it is an entirely different game. If their resources continue to be diminished, there will be a rise of success for the cartel in trafficking. I am not quite sure if the death of Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne III is the ONLY death resulting from interception of illegal trafficking. It is significant though since their casualties seem to be very few. Though it sounds exaggerated, there is a risk with the cartel’s retaliation through desperation of attempting to find these individuals in opposition and having their way with them. They have been known to assassinate and make hits on families of individuals of Mexico’s Marines.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I didn't know how involved in drug trafficking the Coast Guard was. Its hard to really understand exactly how much drugs they actually prevent from being transported... But at the same time, it makes it hard to do their job efficiently when they dont have the proper technology, or enough of it. Why would their budget be cut when drug trafficking is such a big problem? That is something I dont understand. That just causes for more drugs to be able to get transported through undetected.

    ReplyDelete
  19. It doesn’t surprise me that the drug cartels are using the ocean to transport drugs now. With the beefing up security at the border I think that the U.S. government has spent too much money on protecting the land that they forgot to secure the ocean as well. Drug cartels are always trying to find better ways to transport their products to the states, and what better way than the ocean; a vast place that is very hard to patrol. If the government continues to cut back on resources to the coast guard the U.S. will see an increase in drugs entering the West Coast. But also the ocean and border are not the only way these drug cartels are getting drugs into the states. Another way is building underground tunnels which have also become very popular in getting people across as well.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The ocean is way to big. I think that it is amazing that we actually catch someone out there. But in todays world we have the most advance technology looking for these type of people. But i do think that we need to legalize weed. that would take out alot of the air in the Mexican cartel because 60% of there profits are made with that. I do think that we spend a little to much on protecting our borders when we have so much other problems that we need to take care of in our own county. but i do like to know the tax dollars that are being use are atleast are put to good work with the capture of goods like this.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Blog 9
    Sandra Odom
    Coast Guard
    I would think that the coast guard patrolling the open seas for drug traffickers faces the same obstacles of those patrolling for Somali Pirates. Limitation of laws, jurisdictions and funds all converge to enable smuggling on the high seas attractive. I understand from the article that budget cuts to the coast guard have allowed traffickers to smuggle enormous amounts of drugs. Seizures of marijuana have dipped by almost 25% in 2012.
    My question “is the United States chasing the drugs or the drug money”? Reportedly all drugs not used for training purpose or in undercover operations are destroyed. The money that is confiscated once it is no longer required for evidence becomes the property of whom? “In 1989, the state of Connecticut enacted the Drug Asset Forfeiture Law, which means 70 percent of every successful forfeiture goes back to state and local police, 20 percent goes to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services for to fund drug treatment programs, and the remaining 10 percent helps underwrite the cost of prosecuting such cases” according to WFSB.com. Items purchased include a special vehicle to process crime scenes, a mobile command center, exercise equipment and $100,000 simulated shooting system from more than $500,000 in drug money seized in two years. Why chase the drugs on the open seas it is dangerous and costly. The drugs will eventually end up on land along with the money.

    ReplyDelete