Days after losing a crew member at sea near Mexico, Coast Guard Cutter returns with $275-million narcotics haul

After months at sea, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche returned to San Diego on Thursday, with over 37,000 pounds of confiscated cocaine and one less crew member, lost at sea, officials said.

The offloading of their massive narcotics haul — which weighs about as much as a full grown humpback whale and is estimated to be worth $275 million — comes days after search efforts were ended for 23-year-old Seaman Bryan Lee, according to the Coast Guard.

Lee, who hails from Rancho Cordova, was discovered missing at 6:45 a.m. last Tuesday while the Waesche was conducting a routine counter-drug patrol around 300 nautical miles south of Mexico. Search crews dedicated over 190 hours to scouring 19,000 nautical miles for Lee using drones, aircraft and vessels, before suspending the search on Monday.

The confiscated cocaine was netted through 11 drug interdiction missions off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America from December through mid February. At a news conference Thursday celebrating the seizure, a moment of silence was held in Lee’s memory.

“It was truly inspiring to see every member on board come together during this patrol, including our shipmate, Bryan Lee, who contributed to the mission,” said Capt. Tyson Scofield, commanding officer of the Waesche. “We are saddened by his loss, but he shares in the success with all of us today. Our hearts are with his family as they grieve his loss and as we grieve it together.”

Coast Guard spokesperson Christopher Sappey said it is very unusual for a crew guard member to go missing during patrols.

However, he noted, they do conduct dangerous work by directly boarding smuggling vessels in challenging ocean conditions and seizing drugs found on board, he said. Crews launch interdiction missions when suspected vessels are spotted during patrols, often approaching these boats using semi-submersible vessels or small vessels and detaining those on board.

“The Waesche crew faced numerous challenges during this patrol, overcoming the hardest adversities and still had 11 successful drug interdictions,” said Scofield. “Their dedication, strength of character, and resilience ensured the success of our mission.”

During its peak performance window, the crew completed six drug interdiction missions in six days, Scofield said. The total amount of cocaine seized is enough for 33 million hits of the drug, he added.

“That means 33 million hits of cocaine that won’t be on the streets of America,” he said. “This is 33 million instances where there will not be the opportunity to mix in fentanyl and to put that poison on the streets of our country.”

The narcotics will now be transferred to other U.S. agencies for processing, testing and, ultimately, destruction, said Sappey.

The seizure comes as the Coast Guard is ramping up efforts to disrupt the transnational shipment of illicit drugs by cartels operating in Central and South American seas, said Vice Admiral Andrew Tiongson.

So far this year, the Coast Guard and partner agencies are responsible for disrupting the delivery of 150 metric tons of cocaine and turning over 136 detainees to U.S. law enforcement agencies for criminal prosecution, said Rear Admiral Jo-Ann Burdian.