The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Valiant returned to Naval Station Mayport on June 6 after seizing an estimated $147 million worth of cocaine.
They also assisted in the removal of another $170 million of contraband interdicted by other Coast Guard cutters and apprehending 10 suspected drug smugglers.
The cutter Valiant crew seized five drug-laden vessels with nearly five tons of cocaine and apprehended 10 suspected traffickers. The cutter Valiant crew also assisted in the transfer ashore of another six tons of cocaine interdicted by other cutters on patrol in the heavily trafficked drug transit zone.
Cmdr. Timothy Cronin , commanding officer of the cutter Valiant, said the patrol was a success and will help bring stability to the Western Hemisphere. “We are doing a lot more than keeping drugs from reaching our streets and poisoning our youth. The Coast Guard’s maritime interdictions will also help reduce the horrific violence and instability caused by transnational criminal organizations in many Central American countries. By helping our neighbors to the south, we create a safer and more secure America.”
Valiant crew members also dedicated hours of their liberty time ashore volunteering at the Salvation Army orphanage in Tapachula, Mexico. They painted rooms, cleaned common areas and played with the children leaving a positive impression with the local community near the Mexico-Guatemala border.
“I enjoyed giving back to the local community and spending time making the orphanage a cleaner, safer place for the children to live,” said Lt. j.g. Lili Simon . “Our time there made me even more grateful for the things that I have.”
The cutter Valiant crew, along with an aviation detachment from the Coast Guard’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron and a tactical law enforcement team, deployed to the Eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of Central and South America as part of a partnership that falls under Joint Interagency Task Force South, a component of U.S. Southern Command.
This year marks the 50th year of service for the Coast Guard Cutter Valiant. The 210-foot Medium Endurance Cutter with a 75-member crew was launched in January 1967 and commissioned later that November. Valiant and 26 other Medium Endurance Cutters are slated for replacement by the Offshore Patrol Cutter.