A Charleston-based Coast Guard vessel was one of many that assisted in the seizure of more than $517 million worth of illegal narcotics during missions in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
The Charleston crew, during an operation earlier this month, apprehended two Ecuadorians now accused of smuggling thousands of pounds of drugs, according to March 21 new releases from the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The Coast Guard cutter Stone on March 10 helped stop a suspect vessel in international waters off the coast of the Galapagos Islands. Using a helicopter crew, authorities were able to bring the speed boat to a stop. Teams then found nearly 4,000 pounds of cocaine, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stone sails into Charleston Harbor, blowing its fog horn once every minute due to dense fog conditions, on Jan. 25, 2024.
Aboard were two Ecuadorians — Carlos Armando Cedeno, 29, and Jorge Augusto Mero Figueroa, 60. Both were arrested for alleged smuggling activity. The charges could result in a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Due to the ongoing international drug trafficking investigation by federal agents in Charleston, the case will be prosecuted in South Carolina.
A total of 45,000-plus pounds of illicit narcotics were confiscated March 20 at the Port Everglades, Fla., as a result of several separate missions in international waters with Capt. Jonathan Carter, commanding officer.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem (from left) and Acting Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Kevin Lunday, stood by as Capt. Jonathan Carter, commanding officer of the Coast Guard cutter Stone, addressed media questions at Port Everglades, Fla., on March 20, 2025.
The Stone’s crew was responsible for seizing thousands of pounds of illegal substances in seven of 11 missions outlined in a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard. Their total take accounted for more than half of the weight of all drugs seized from Dec. 21, 2024, to March 10, 2025.
The cutter Stone is one of four 418-foot Legend-class federal security ships that call Charleston home. Missions to the Eastern Pacific off the coast of South America are fairly routine, regardless of where a Coast Guard ship is homeported, according to prior reporting from The Post and Courier.
Investigating illicit narcotics in waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction and illegal fishing vessels have increased in the past several years, the newspaper previously reported.
During former President Joe Biden’s term, he vowed to crack down on illegal fishing operations. Then-Vice President Kamala Harris told members of the Pacific Islands Forum July 12, 2022, that the U.S. would triple its funding to help nations patrol their waters.
On one mission, originally intended to be a photo-op, Charleston-based cutter James sank off the coast of the Galapagos in 2022, the newspaper reported.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
