VIRGINIA BEACH — The crew of the Cutter Dependable returned home May 4, 2017 after a two-month patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
During this patrol, the crew seized over 8,000 pounds of cocaine with an estimated value of $122 million which will be used as evidence to prosecute 19 suspected smugglers.
In four separate cases, the crew of Dependable pursued and interdicted five vessels suspected of smuggling illicit narcotics; including several high speed pursuits of go-fast vessels specially fitted to smuggle contraband.
During a stop in Puerto Chiapas, Mexico, the commanding officer of Dependable, Cmrd. Bob Little, met with Admiral Jose Antonio Ortiz Guarneros, commander of the 2nd Division Fourth Naval Command. . They discussed their shared goals to apprehend and disrupt narco smugglers as well as plans for continued cooperation among international partners in the region.
Virginia Beach-based Dependable is a 210-foot Reliance class medium endurance cutter with a crew complement of 75. They conduct homeland security missions in the offshore waters of the Western Hemisphere from New England to the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific.
Nearing its 50th year serving America, Dependable and the other 26 aging medium endurance Coast Guard cutters are slated for replacement by new Offshore Patrol Cutters in 2021. More on Cutter Dependable is available at http://www.uscg.mil/lantarea/cgcDependable/.
