USS Minneapolis-St. Paul makes multiple alleged drug busts in the Caribbean Sea
Courtesy: U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command / U.S. 4th Fleet Public Affairs
The namesake ship of the Twin Cities is making big waves in the Caribbean Sea, where the ship has stopped two alleged drug smuggling operations during her maiden deployment.
According to the Minnesota Navy League, the busts were within 72 hours of each other, resulting in the confiscation of 1,278.9 lbs of cocaine and 2,480 pounds of marijuana.
In total, the Minnesota Navy League estimates the drugs to be worth over $12 million.
The USS Minneapolis-St. Paul is on her maiden deployment; Minneapolis-St. Paul’s commanding officer, Commander Steven Fresse, says that having an impact this early is a testament to the crew’s hard work and training.
“We train diligently and stand ready to execute interdiction missions at moment’s notice,” said Commander Steven Fresse. “To be able to make an immediate impact so early on during our maiden deployment is a testament to the hard work and skills of the ship’s crew.”
The USS Minneapolis-St. Paul is currently assigned to Commander, Task Force 45 (CTF 45).
CTF-45 is the 4th Fleet surface task force charged with executing combined naval operations meant to build and strengthen Latin American, south of Mexico and Caribbean maritime partnerships.
The fleet also supports counter-illicit-drug trafficking operations taking place in Central and South American waters.