The US Coast Guard “consistently” stopped drug smugglers during the Biden administration, leaving the vessel unavailable for a total of 2,000 days, according to a new report.
A general report from the Department of Homeland Security's Inspectors found that between 2021 and 2023, the Coast Guard “didn't be able to smuggle non-profit vessels into the United States.”
The audit examined the Coast Guard's ability to stop drug trafficking in 95,000 miles of coastal waters and more than 300 ports. The agency is primarily focused on cocaine as it is the main drug smuggled across the water.
The Coast Guard did not have enough cutter vessels to implement the gas appointments and “we had no emergency plans to deal with the inability to use the cutters,” the report said.
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The US Coast Guard is intensifying operations along the Rio Grande for illegal crossings and illegal activities. (Sarah Allegle)
“We have found that Coast Guard cutters are not available on a cumulative date of 2,058 over three years,” the report states.
Reasons for 39 of the 90 cutters not available include immigration blocking, unplanned maintenance, or becoming inoperable due to Covid-19 protocols. The report found that the number of days that cutters are unavailable each year is increased, correlated with a decrease in seized cocaine.
“According to Coast Guard officials, many of the cutters scheduled for counter drag missions will be reassigned to the immigration crisis, thus reducing the number of cutters available in the maritime transport zone and negatively affecting the removal of cocaine,” the report said.
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“Coast Guard personnel also thought these issues had been postponed maintenance. Coast Guard personnel said the lack of funds for maintenance and repairs would reduce the availability of cutters and the longer-term maintenance periods would be required for maintenance and repairs,” he said.
Overcrowded boats with immigrants who were part of the Coast Guard operation in June 2024. (US Coast Guard)
Between 2021 and 2023, the company said it had been primarily between the Biden administration, including several months of Trump administration, but the Coast Guard intercepted about 421 meters of cocaine, which had not achieved its 690-meter-ton target.
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The Coast Guard also found that no accurate record of all interactions, and that 58% of the counter-drug case files contained seizure outcomes and 68% did not contain the required documents.
“If we don't address the issues identified in this report, the Coast Guard may be missing out on the opportunity to achieve its target target: removing cocaine and reducing the illegal flow of drugs entering the country,” the report concluded.
The Coast Guard prioritized cutter availability and recommended developing a drug inhibition contingency plan to update the system to ensure accuracy of data, including centralized databases.
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The Coast Guard agreed to the recommendations, except for the emergency response plan. It said it was “redundant and ineffective in solving documented issues of asset availability.”
The Coast Guard also said it is “still committed to strengthening tactics, techniques and procedures to stop the illegal flow of drugs entering the United States by disrupting the flow of cocaine and other illegal drugs in the maritime environment.”
