A Canadian naval ship based at CFB Esquimalt played a key role in a major drug interception that resulted in the seizure of $44.2 million worth of cocaine off the coast of Mexico.
On September 5th, the crew aboard HMCS Yellowknife, working in collaboration with a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment team, intercepted more than 3,100 pounds of cocaine approximately 430 miles southwest of Acapulco, Mexico.
The US Coast Guard credited the success of the mission to the close partnership between Canada and the United States in combating illegal trafficking.
Capt. Tim Lavier, chief of response for the Eleventh Coast Guard District, expressed his appreciation for the crew’s efforts, stating, “I congratulate the entire crew of the Yellowknife for their successful patrol in the Eastern Pacific, and I thank them for their dedicated service.”
The drug interdiction is part of ongoing international cooperation between the two nations under Operation CARIBBE, Canada’s contribution to US-led enhanced counter-narcotics operations.
This multinational effort aims to disrupt the flow of illicit drugs into North America by targeting organized crime in the Eastern Pacific region.
Lt. Cmdr. Tyson Babcock, commanding officer of HMCS Yellowknife, praised his team and US partners, saying, “We are proud to contribute to the multinational efforts to address illegal trafficking…to impede the flow of illicit drugs and improve the safety and security of North America, the Caribbean, and South America.”
Operation CARRIBBE is part of Joint Interagency Task Force South, which includes collaboration with multiple US agencies such as the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
These agencies work together to dismantle transnational organized crime through coordinated interdictions and prosecutions.
The HMCS Yellowknife, a Kingston-class coastal defence vessel, has been part of the Royal Canadian Navy since 1998 and continues to serve from its homeport in Esquimalt.
The Yellowknife is one of 12 Canadian maritime coastal defence vessels and is based in Esquimalt.
