HMCS Saskatoon doles out smuggler blues

Photo by U.S. Coast Guard
Bales of cocaine jettisoned from a suspected smuggling boat and retrieved from the Eastern Pacific Ocean lie stacked aboard HMCS Saskatoon. The bales were seized by a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment embarked on Saskatoon.

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

Sailors on board HMCS Saskatoon have just made the life of drug smugglers and organized crime a little less lucrative after participating in a sizable drug seizure in the Eastern Pacific.

The Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel with its crew of 38 and a United States Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment seized 10 bales of cocaine weighing approximately 360 kilograms on March 19.

The operation off the coast of Central America is part of Operation Caribbe, part of Canada’s contribution to a multinational effort against transnational criminal organizations in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea dubbed Operation Martillo.

“It’s not just getting drugs off the street in Canada and the United States; Operation Caribbe is also about keeping the money out of the pockets of bad people who are destabilizing the governments of nations in South and Central America,” said Lieutenant-Commander Todd Bacon, Saskatoon’s Commanding Officer.

The seizure came about when occupants on a panga-style fishing boat jettisoned their illicit contraband in the water before fleeing at a high speed.

Saskatoon approached the smugglers and deployed the U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment team in rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIB) to board the vessel.

The seizure by Saskatoon brings the total cocaine seized by Canadian warships in the month of March to nearly 700 kg. Earlier this month, the Halifax-based HMCS Summerside was involved in the boarding of a 12-metre vessel in the international waters off the coast of Nicaragua that led to the seizure of 16 bales of cocaine weighing 324 kg.

Four Royal Canadian Navy ships were deployed in early February and included HMCS Edmonton and HMCS Moncton, which concluded its deployment on March 26.

LCdr Bacon said that the latest drug seizure is another example of multi-national teamwork and cooperation between governments.

“There wasn’t one specific individual who stood out in the seizure, but it really was a complete team effort,” he says. “The integration of law enforcement, intelligence and communications and support staff onboard our vessel and onshore has been seamless.”