The Coast Guard cutter Rush returned to Honolulu Harbor on Sunday from an 83-day deployment that included a counternarcotics mission and participation in the multinational maritime security exercise off Mexico, Coast Guard officials said.
The 378-foot-high endurance cutter supported Operation Martillo by teaming up with the Coast Guard’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron, based in Jacksonville, Fla., to prevent more than 1,700 kilograms of cocaine worth about $60 million wholesale from reaching the United States, according to a Coast Guard news release.
During one interdiction a helicopter fired warning shots to stop a suspicious speedboat, the Coast Guard said. Rush and two of its pursuit boats arrived on scene to conduct a boarding, which resulted in the seizure of cocaine and detention of suspected smugglers.
"This deployment was challenging and rewarding for the crew as they successfully tackled the counter-narcotic law enforcement mission in an unfamiliar operational area," Capt. Diane Durham, Rush’s commanding officer, said in the release. "I am proud of our interdictions and the hard work of the crew."
Operation Martillo is an international operation focused on sharing information and bringing together air, land and maritime assets from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and partner nation agencies from the Western Hemisphere and Europe to counter illicit drug trafficking, according to the Coast Guard.
Rush left Honolulu on Sept. 30 for Mexico to participate in the exercise, which brings together different countries to plan and execute a combined response to maritime security threats.
The coordinated effort among Canadian, Mexican and U.S. forces took place Oct. 8-11 off Ensenada, Mexico.
Rush has a permanent crew of 160 personnel and a range of 12,000 nautical miles. High-endurance cutters like it are designed for multiweek offshore patrols that include helicopter and pursuit boat operations, which provide a key capability for homeland security missions at sea.
