PORTSMOUTH, Va. - The Coast Guard Cutter Legare (WMEC 912) returned to its homeport of Coast Guard Base Portsmouth Thursday following a seven-week counter-narcotic patrol in the Central Caribbean.
The crew of the Legare was deployed in support of Operation Unified Resolve/Martillo under the tactical control of Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S) and the Seventh Coast Guard District. During its deployment, the Legare patrolled over 8,000 nautical miles and worked in conjunction with Customs and Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Navy and other partner agencies.
Its crew disrupted more than $23.5 million in contraband while patrolling smuggling routes south of the Dominican Republic.
"Once again the crew of Legare successfully overcame the dual challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and operating a 30-year old ship to complete our operational and unit objectives with resounding mission success,” said Cmdr. Malcolm Belt, commanding officer of the Legare. “I am especially appreciative of Legare’s family and friends ashore who support our crew while they continue to deal with COVID-19. In many ways, their lives at home right now are more difficult than ours at sea."
