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Mayport-based ship takes part in international operation interdicting half ton of cocaine, rescuing four suspected smugglers

Jacksonville, FL — It's a wild story involving Mayport-based ship, the USS Zephyr.

The Zephyr took part in an international operation to interdiction earlier this month, seizing more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine and rescuing four smuggling suspects.

According to a release from the US Naval Forces Southern Command, an aircraft detected a vessel commonly used by drug traffickers in the Eastern Pacific on April 7th, so they called on the Zephyr to make the interdiction.

As the Zephyr changed course to approach the vessel, the suspected smugglers allegedly began throwing cargo off the boat and then jumped into the water, because the boat caught fire.

Crews from the Zephyr rescued the suspected smugglers from the water and then spent about 90 minutes extinguishing the boat fire. Once the flames were out, crews were able to recover about 1,080 pounds of suspected cocaine from the vessel.

Lt. Commander Mike McGrail, the commanding officer of a Maritime Safety and Security Time based in New Orleans, calls the whole thing incredible.

McGrail says, "This was an incredible team effort, between our MSST, the law enforcement detachment, and USS Zephyr crews to save four lives, put out the fire, and recover half a ton of cocaine."

We're told the suspects' boat was severely damaged from the fire and had to be sunk.

This operation involved crews from the US Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, a Colombian navy ship, as well as the USS Zephyr.

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