Coast Guard cutter back from drug patrol

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

A Coast Guard cutter home-ported in Honolulu returned Sunday after a 60-day drug patrol off of Central America.

The highlight of the 378-foot Rush's deployment was the March 22 boarding of the Mexican-flagged vessel Tolteca I. The crew of the Tolteca I was suspected of transporting a large amount of cocaine.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Lauren Smith said a boarding team from the Rush detected trace amounts of cocaine on the vessel, but was unable to locate the drugs. The Rush tracked the Tolteca I for a week and a second boarding was conducted by a Coast Guard law enforcement team from a Navy ship, but no drugs were detected.

Smith said the Tolteca I was eventually escorted into Manzanillo, Mexico, by the Mexican Navy where a full dockside search yielded 4.6 tons of cocaine. The street value of the drug was estimated at more than $150 million, she said.

In addition to the drug monitoring, the crew of the Rush volunteered at the Marsh Children's home for homeless children in Acapulco and a boys' orphanage in Mazatlan.

The Rush has a crew of 167 and is commanded by Capt. Paul Zukunft.