USS Detroit Completes Counter-Narcotics Deployment

The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Detroit (LCS 7) returned to Mayport on July 11, following its maiden deployment to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations, the U.S. Navy announced.

Detroit, along with a detachment from the “Sea Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 22, deployed on March 15, 2020 to conduct U.S. Southern Command and Joint Interagency Task Force South’s enhanced counter-narcotics operations missions in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean.

During their deployment, USS Detroit, with their embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET), disrupted an estimated 1780 kilograms of cocaine, worth over an estimated street value of $124 million.

This was a Navy and Coast Guard team effort and I am extremely proud of the way Detroit, HSC 22 Detachment 5, and LEDET 407 performed alongside our partners and allies in support of maritime interests in the Caribbean Sea. A lot of great work was put in by the team onboard and from outside the lifelines support provided by our Mayport-based staff and maintenance team,” said Cmdr. Joseph Caldwell, Detroit’s executive officer.

Detroit joined other U.S. Navy warships, numerous U.S. agencies from the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security cooperating in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with allied and international partner agencies, are all playing a role in counter-drug operations.

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet supports U.S. Southern Command’s joint and combined military operations by employing maritime forces in cooperative maritime security operations to maintain access, enhance interoperability, and build enduring partnerships in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American region.

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