USS Wichita stopped a fast-moving boat last year and seized $12M in drugs, Navy says
The U.S. Navy combat ship named after Wichita has seized millions of dollars worth of drugs in the Caribbean Sea.
The USS Wichita was on routine patrol back in March when the ship’s embarked helicopter noticed a “go-fast vessel” in the central Caribbean, according to a U.S. Navy press release.
USS Wichita launched its smaller boat to intercept the fast-moving boat and subsequently fired warning shots from the helicopter in order to detain it.
Three people onboard were detained while the boat was searched. The USS Wichita along with a Coast Guard specialized team seized an estimated 289 kilograms of what they think was cocaine along with one pound of marijuana. The estimated value of the drug haul was $12 million dollars, according to the release.
The U.S. Navy website says the USS Wichita monitors the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific on counter-illicit drug trafficking missions.
The USS Wichita, LCS 13, is the third navy vessel in decades to carry the Wichita name. It was commissioned in 2019.
The first USS Wichita was commissioned in February 1939 and decommissioned in 1947 after World War II.