Counter-Drug Operations 

August 14, 2020 

Fiscal Year 2020 Report to Congress 

Under Secretary for Management 
August 14, 2020
 

 

Counter-Drug Operations 

Table of Contents 

I. Legislative Language .......................................................................................................... 1 

II. Background......................................................................................................................... 2 

Counter-Drug Mission Overview ....................................................................................... 2 

U.S. Navy Support.............................................................................................................. 3 

Partner Nation Coordination ............................................................................................... 3 

III. Report.................................................................................................................................. 5 

Interdictions ........................................................................................................................ 5 

Caribbean Basin Interdictions............................................................................................. 5 

The Arrival Zone ................................................................................................................ 5 

Bilateral Agreements and Interagency Partnerships........................................................... 6 

Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 7 

Appendix: List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................ 8 

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I. Legislative Language 

This document responds to direction in House Report 116-180 accompanying the Fiscal Year 

(FY) 2020 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Act (P.L. 116-93). 

House Report 116-180 states: 

Counter-Drug Operations.—The Committee directs the Department to provide a 

report, not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, on its counterdrug operations and efforts to address operational needs in the transit zone and 

throughout the Caribbean basin, specifically in and around Puerto Rico and the 

U.S. Virgin Islands. 

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II. Background 

Counter-Drug Mission Overview 

The Coast Guard is the lead and only federal maritime law enforcement agency with both the 

authority and capability to enforce national and international law, including drug interdiction, on 

the high seas. The Coast Guard shares the lead for interdiction and enforcement responsibilities 

with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in U.S. territorial waters. Illicit maritime drug 

shipments are carried both by noncommercial means such as small “go-fast” vessels with 

multiple outboard engines, semisubmersible vessels, fishing vessels, and sailing vessels, as well 

as by commercial vessels such as container ships. The majority of known maritime drug flow is 

conveyed via noncommercial means through the Western Hemisphere Transit Zone (WHTZ)— 

the waters off the coasts of Central and South America and the Caribbean Sea. 

The Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, 46 U.S. Code (U.S.C.) §70501-70507, is the primary 

criminal statute that the Coast Guard enforces in the counter-drug mission. The law applies 

extraterritorially so that persons who are interdicted aboard suspected drug smuggling vessels in 

international waters may be prosecuted in the United States when the elements of the offense are 

met. 

To combat the growing threat posed by the drug trafficking organizations’ expanded use of 

semisubmersible and submersible vessels, the Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act 

(P.L. 110-407) was enacted in 2008. Because of the danger that the drug trafficking 

organizations pose to our national security, Congress enacted this law making it unlawful (when 

certain elements are met) for any person knowingly to operate, by any means, or to embark in 

any submersible or semisubmersible vessel. The law applies extraterritorially so that persons 

who are interdicted in a semisubmersible or submersible vessel in international waters may be 

prosecuted in the United States when the elements of the offense are met. 

The Coast Guard uses cutters, boats, and aircraft in a layered approach to combat cartels as they 

transport illicit drugs from the source zone, through the WHTZ and into the United States. This 

approach confronts the threat beyond our land borders on the high seas where traffickers are 

most exposed and drugs are most vulnerable to interdiction by law enforcement assets. 

In the WHTZ, the Coast Guard is the major maritime interdiction asset provider to U.S. Southern 

Command through the Joint Interagency Task Force – South (JIATF-South), which executes the 

Department of Defense (DOD) statutory responsibility for detecting and monitoring illicit drug 

trafficking in the air and maritime domains bound for the United States. Fixed-wing maritime 

patrol aircraft, provided by the Coast Guard, CBP, DOD, and allies, coupled with sophisticated 

intelligence cueing capabilities provided through JIATF-South and other agencies, enable 

U.S. Government and partner nation interdiction efforts. The Coast Guard’s most capable 

interdiction platforms include flight deck-equipped major cutters with embarked airborne use of 

force rotary wing capability, deployable pursuit-capable boats, and Coast Guard law enforcement 

detachments embarked on U.S. Navy (USN) and allied ships. 

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The Coast Guard maintains an active presence in the WHTZ as the primary force provider of 

surface assets to JIATF-South in the whole-of-government effort to disrupt the narcotics flow 

and other criminal network activity. Through this role as the enforcement arm to JIATF-South, 

at-sea interdictions of pure cocaine are the most effective way for the Coast Guard to limit 

transnational organized crime and other criminal networks from trafficking their entire spectrum 

of illicit products. In order to increase effectiveness of Coast Guard interdictions, the Coast 

Guard must maximize detection and monitoring of vessel traffic in the WHTZ. 

U.S. Navy Support 

U.S. laws, most notably the Posse Comitatus Act, 18 U.S.C. §1385 and 10 U.S.C. § 275, 

historically prohibit USN and other DOD personnel from enforcing U.S. law directly or from 

participating directly in law enforcement activities unless expressly authorized by Congress. In 

1981, Congress specifically authorized the limited use of DOD military facilities, platforms, and 

equipment to assist federal authorities in maritime drug interdiction through detection and 

monitoring. As an example, Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDET) routinely 

deploy aboard USN vessels to conduct law enforcement boardings pursuant to authority set forth 

in 10 U.S.C. §379. Until 2015, USN frigates were the primary platform for deployment of 

LEDETs. Following the decommissioning of the USN’s last remaining frigates in 2015, the 

Coast Guard and U.S. Southern Command continue to seek additional and/or alternate platforms 

from which LEDETs can embark. Since 2015, the USN has employed multiple ship classes in 

support of the counter-drug mission, including the Littoral Combat Ships (first deployed in 2019) 

and Cyclone-class coastal patrol boats. In addition to providing surface asset support, USN 

employs P-8 maritime patrol aircraft to bolster detection capability throughout the WHTZ. The 

P-8 has proven to be one of the most effective detection assets in the region, bolstering 

interdiction performance for U.S. Government and partner nation surface assets. 

Partner Nation Coordination 

In coordination with JIATF-South, the Coast Guard engages with partner nations throughout the 

Western Hemisphere, leveraging their capabilities and local knowledge to improve maritime 

governance in the littoral regions being exploited by transnational criminal organizations. To 

this end, Coast Guard personnel are posted as attachés, liaisons, maritime advisors, and drug 

interdiction specialists at several of our embassies in the Western Hemisphere. These personnel 

develop strategic relationships with partner nations that facilitate the coordination of real-time 

operations; confirmation of vessel registry; waivers of jurisdiction; and disposition of seized 

vessels, contraband, and detained crews. The Coast Guard’s law enforcement, legal, and 

regulatory expertise are in high demand from Central American partners, whose navies more 

closely resemble the Coast Guard, focusing primarily on maritime law enforcement. Coast 

Guard international training teams, as well as Coast Guard units deployed in the region, increase 

professional interaction, shiprider activities, and training in conjunction with operations. 

Shiprider activities consist of personnel embarked on partner nation enforcement vessels to aid in 

law enforcement operations in or near their nation’s territorial seas. Coast Guard training teams 

also execute maritime engagement activities coincidental with port visits and patrols. 

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A prime example of the Coast Guard’s engagement in the Western Hemisphere is the Coast 

Guard Support to Interdiction and Prosecution Team (CG-SIP) program, established in 2015 

through collaboration with the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and 

Law Enforcement Affairs. CG-SIP consists of two Coast Guard Investigative Service special 

agents who advise and assist the partner nation’s law enforcement agencies with maritime 

interdiction activities. The first program was in Panama, providing maritime counter-drug and 

prosecutorial support and coordination between Coast Guard strategic, operational, and tactical 

units; the U.S. Embassy country teams in Central America; Combatant Commanders; and 

JIATF-South. This program serves as a blueprint for innovative expansion of Coast Guard 

support to partner nations, with a similar program implemented in the Dominican Republic in 

2019. 

Further promoting international cooperation and success, the Coast Guard leveraged the value of 

the U.S./Costa Rica and U.S./Guatemala bilateral agreements with joint shiprider operations 

from December 2018 through December 2019. Through these operations, Costa Rican and 

Guatemalan maritime interdiction units, supported by Coast Guard law enforcement personnel, 

enhanced their ability to conduct interdiction operations from their surface assets, including the 

newly acquired Costa Rican Libertadores (former Coast Guard 110-foot patrol boats), resulting 

in the removal of nearly 7 metric tons of cocaine and apprehension of 30 suspected smugglers. 

More important, the invaluable operational knowledge and skill sets conveyed by Coast Guard 

law enforcement personnel, coupled with a bolstered surface fleet, enabled both countries’ 

maritime enforcement agencies to emerge as powerful force multipliers in the WHTZ. Joint 

operations like this are expected to continue in the future. 

Increased cooperation with our close Western Hemisphere partners such as Panama, Colombia, 

and Costa Rica over the last several years has garnered substantial results in the multinational 

fight against transnational organized crime. In FY 2019, JIATF-South reported that partner 

nations contributed to 50 percent of drug interdictions in the WHTZ, the highest in 

JIATF-South’s history. Furthermore, Coast Guard support helped Panama and Costa Rica to 

strengthen their prosecutorial systems to enhance the likelihood of meaningful consequences for 

convicted drug smugglers. This support included boarding officer witness testimony to nearly 10 

in-country trials. 

Working in conjunction with the Department of State and Department of Justice, the Coast 

Guard negotiated, concluded, and maintained 41 counter-drug bilateral agreements and 

operational procedures with partner nations throughout the world; the majority of which are in 

the Western Hemisphere. These agreements enable the Coast Guard to: board suspect vessels, 

facilitate interdictions in underpatrolled territorial waters of partner nations, deter illicit activity 

in the littoral regions, and coordinate interdiction and apprehension operations in the WHTZ. 

Nearly 60 percent of all Coast Guard interdictions in FY 2019 involved the use of a bilateral 

agreement or an operational procedure (process to facilitate law enforcement activity agreed to 

with a partner nation that is less formal than a bilateral agreement). 

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III. Discussion 

Interdictions 

In FY 2019, the Coast Guard removed 207.9 metric tons of cocaine and more than 63,000 

pounds of marijuana from the WHTZ (including seizures as well as contraband lost or destroyed 

by traffickers, typically as a result of interdiction activity). During the past 4 years, the Coast 

Guard removed more than 816 metric tons of pure cocaine from the WHTZ. 

• The 207.9 metric tons of cocaine removed by the Coast Guard in FY 2019 is equivalent 

to 4.16 billion individual doses. That is enough for EVERY American to be drugged for 

almost 13 consecutive days. 

• The 207.9 metric tons of cocaine is valued at $6.14 billion. 

Caribbean Basin Interdictions 

In FY 2019, the Coast Guard removed 33 metric tons of cocaine from the Caribbean, Bahamas, 

and Florida Straits vectors. Although this is far less than the 175 metric tons removed in the 

Eastern Pacific, Coast Guard Caribbean interdictions were up 35 percent from FY 2018. The 

Coast Guard also observed a 106-percent increase in boardings of vessels claiming Venezuelan 

nationality from FY 2018 to FY 2019. This resulted in a 46-percent increase in cocaine 

removals from Venezuelan vessels and five times the number of suspects referred to the United 

States for prosecution. Although not included in the above figures, it should be noted that this 

increase in Caribbean maritime interdictions was accompanied by an apparent increase in 

noncommercial air smuggling of cocaine from Venezuela to Mexico and Central America. 

These increases are indicative of cartels modifying tactics to exploit Caribbean threat vectors. 

A greater emphasis on Caribbean drug smuggling awareness, enhanced detections of smuggling 

conveyances, and more robust information-sharing is required in the Caribbean where shorter 

transit distances, legitimate vessel traffic, and close proximity to foreign territorial seas can 

complicate counternarcotic mission success. The Coast Guard’s continued integration with the 

interagency as well as with partner nations is a key element to success in this region. 

The Arrival Zone 

Closer to the shores of the United States, Coast Guard operational commanders work with other 

operational Components within DHS and across the interagency to provide a robust presence in 

the maritime approaches by deploying Fast Response Cutters, high-speed pursuit boats, and 

medium range fixed-wing aircraft. The Coast Guard Atlantic Area Commander serves as the 

Director of Joint Task Force East, overseeing coordination efforts for DHS Components 

operating in the maritime approaches of the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Eastern Pacific 

Ocean. This task force is instrumental in the Department’s aggressive posture aimed at securing 

the maritime borders surrounding Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including the 

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approaches from South America, Hispaniola, and the Leeward Islands. In addition to steady 

state presence, Joint Task Force East conducts surge operations to counter specific threats or to 

respond to intelligence trends. 

Bilateral Agreements and Interagency Partnerships 

The Coast Guard relies heavily on its partnerships, especially with international partners, to 

interdict narcotics effectively in the WHTZ. Of the 41 international bilateral agreements and 

operational procedures maintained by the Coast Guard, 34 are within the Western Hemisphere. 

Others are in the Western Pacific islands and include Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, 

Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu. 

Existing bilateral agreements were enacted 192 times in FY 2019. 

• This is a 6-percent decrease from FY 2018 (204 enactments). 

• There were 152 enactments in FY 2017 and 161 enactments in FY 2016. 

The United States - Ecuador Operational Procedures were used 71 times in FY 2019 (37 percent 

of all FY 2019 agreement enactments and up from 33 percent in FY 2018). 

The United States - Costa Rica Bilateral Agreement was used 44 times (23 percent of all 

FY 2019 agreement enactments). 

The United States - Colombia Bilateral Agreement was used 35 times (19 percent of all 

FY 2019 agreement enactments). 

The United States and the recognized Government of Venezuela’s operational procedures were 

used 33 times in FY 2019 (a 106-percent increase in Venezuela cases from FY 2018 (16 to 33)). 

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IV. Conclusion 

The Coast Guard dedicates a great deal of resources and effort to its counter-drug mission across 

the WHTZ and constantly is refining tactics, techniques, and procedures, as well as is optimizing 

the use of varied interdiction surface forces to counter the changing and increasingly 

sophisticated practices of the transnational criminal organizations responsible for drug smuggling 

through the WHTZ and into the United States. Working with interagency, DOD, and 

international partners, the Coast Guard continues to seek efficiencies and improvements in the 

execution of this critical mission. 

The transnational criminal organizations operating throughout the WHTZ are a constantly 

evolving threat to our national and regional stability. Drug interdiction on the high seas where 

drug loads are most concentrated is a critical aspect of our National Drug Control Strategy’s 

effort to reduce the availability of illicit narcotics in the United States. The Coast Guard will 

continue to work closely with its other federal and international law enforcement partners to 

maximize its collective effectiveness in the counter-drug mission. 

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Appendix: List of Abbreviations 

Abbreviation Definition 

CBP U.S. Customs and Border Protection 

CG-SIP Coast Guard Support to Interdiction and Prosecution Team 

DOD Department of Defense 

DHS Department of Homeland Security 

FY Fiscal Year 

JIATF-South Joint Interagency Task Force – South 

LEDET Law Enforcement Detachment 

U.S.C. U.S. Code 

USN U.S. Navy 

WHTZ Western Hemisphere Transit Zone 

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