ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Coast Guard Cutter Resolute returned to its homeport in St. Petersburg, Florida, Friday following a 52-day law enforcement patrol in the Caribbean Sea.
During their multi-agency mission, the crew of the Resolute transited more than 5,600 miles patrolling through the heart of the Caribbean from the Dominican Republic to south of Puerto Rico. Resolute’s crew worked with other Coast Guard and foreign law enforcement teams to target the illicit flow of drugs into the United States, conducting one international and inter-agency counter narcotics operation.
Working jointly with a deployed Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team and the Dutch Navy, Resolute’s crew successfully apprehended four suspected drug smugglers and seized more than 300 kilograms of contraband on the high seas.
Resolute also worked alongside Coast Guard Station San Juan and Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team Miami while patrolling off the coast of Palomino Island near Puerto Rico, where Resolute’s boarding teams enforced recreational vessel compliance to maritime regulations in an effort to promote safety of life at sea for all local sea traffic.
The Resolute is scheduled to carry out a change of command ceremony June 3, 2016, where Cmdr. Matthew Brown, Resolute’s current commanding officer, will be relieved by Cmdr. Carmen DeGeorge, who is currently assigned to Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington D.C.
“The operational results from this patrol were influenced by a fantastic unity of effort and cooperation across federal and local government agencies,” said Brown.
The Resolute is a 210-foot Medium Endurance cutter that operates in the offshore maritime environment under the command of Coast Guard Atlantic Area, headquartered in Portsmouth, Virginia. Other missions include maritime law enforcement, marine environmental protection, defense readiness, and ports, waterways, and coastal security.
For breaking news follow us on Twitter @uscgsoutheast