The 210' Coast Guard Reliance-class medium endurance cutter Dependable (WMEC 626) returned to its homeport of Virginia Beach, Va., Sunday, with over 1,100 lbs. of contraband aboard. The vessel returned after a 42-day patrol in the Florida Straits and Windward Passage.
The Dependable has a crew of 67. Its primary missions include counter drug operations, migrant interdiction, enforcement of federal fishery laws, and search and rescue in support of Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Dependable was supported by multiple Coast Guard air assets to interdict two known drug smugglers in the vicinity of the Old Bahama Channel. Dependable’s small boat crew stopped the vessel and embarked the smugglers. The 1,100 lbs. of contraband recovered was the first drug bust for the cutter in more than three years.
In addition to the drug seizure, the Dependable’s crew contributed to the interdiction, care and repatriation of over 300 migrants while patrolling the Seventh Coast Guard District’s area of responsibility in support of Operation Vigilant Sentry and Homeland Security Taskforce — Southeast.
“The crew has been training to conduct migrant interdiction operations since July 2022,” Lt. Cmdr. Dana Prefer, Dependable’s executive officer, said in a statement. “In preparation for the recent uptick in maritime migration ventures, we worked hard to qualify over 50 crew members to provide security and care for the migrants embarked aboard the cutter. All the training and preparation paid off as it was truly a team effort to interdict, process, and care for the well-being of migrants throughout our patrol.”
