Coast Guard vows vigilant
anti-drug operations

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By Pat Gee
pgee@starbulletin.com

The heightened need for homeland security stemming from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will not compromise the U.S. Coast Guard's counter-drug operations, officials said.

"We are not going to let down our guard in counter-drug operations," said Capt. Paul Zukunft, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Rush, based in Honolulu.

The ship and its crew played a key role in the seizure of a record amount of cocaine in fiscal year 2001 -- 138,334 pounds. In April the Rush's crew confiscated 9,200 pounds, or 4.6 tons, of cocaine, with a street value of more than $150 million, from a Mexican fishing vessel.

At a news conference yesterday aboard the Rush, Zukunft acknowledged that there would be "fewer resources out there" to go after drug-carrying vessels as aggressively, but "if anything, we have more resources now available since World War II" for all Coast Guard operations, including search and rescue of those in distress.

Zukunft said heightened security should lead to a decrease in drug running, but noted that South American producers still put out about 800 tons of cocaine a year.

Since Sept. 11 the Coast Guard has received an $18 million increase to enforce homeland security. Zukunft said it costs $1 million a day to provide 55 cutters, 22 aircraft, individual boats and waterfront security throughout the nation.

Three cutters, instead of two, now are being used for homeland defense in Hawaiian waters. The third cutter that was used specifically for counter-drug operations is now being used for homeland security, Zukunft said.

There will be no cutback in services by a joint interagency task force, which includes the FBI and federal customs, to provide intelligence for drug enforcement, he said.

Zukunft noted that even when the Coast Guard cut back its counter-drug operations last year by 15 percent, it still had a record-breaking year.

Zukunft said that in April the Rush trailed the Mexican vessel for 10 days in the hope of witnessing a hand-off of the drugs. When the crew boarded the vessel, they became suspicious of what was called an empty water tank, about 15 by 20 feet in size. But there were no vents for water going into the tank. The vessel also stood at a slant in the water, which indicated there was a significant amount of weight in the corner where the tank was kept, he said.

"It was supposed to be a fishing vessel, but there was no ice and no catch," Zukunft said. Tests later determined the presence of cocaine on board.