Alameda-Based Coast Guard Crew Seizes 2,400 Pound of Marijuana Off San Diego Coast

By: Sylvia Ramirez - Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:51:51 -0800

(BCN) -- A U.S. Coast Guard crew based in Alameda seized more than 2,400 pounds of marijuana from a boat off of the Southern California coast on Friday, according to Coast Guard officials.

The suspect boat was spotted Friday by the crew of a Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft about 300 miles west of San Diego, Coast Guard officials said. People on the boat were seen throwing bales overboard as the plane approached.

The Alameda-based cutter Waesche, which was patrolling the waters nearby, responded, using an onboard helicopter and a boarding team on a small boat to intercept the suspected smugglers, according to the Coast Guard.

A law enforcement team on the Waesche arrested three suspects and recovered 70 floating bales, which tested positive for marijuana.

The Waesche is a 418-foot National Security Cutter and the second in a new class of Coast Guard ships designed to execute a variety of missions, according to the Coast Guard.

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