COAST GUARD RETURNS TO SAN DIEGO WITH 1 TONS OF MARIJUANA

A Coast Guard crew returned to port Wednesday with more than 1 tons of
marijuana that was abandoned in the Pacific Ocean by smugglers off the
coast of Mexico.

The Coast Guard cutter Steadfast, based in Astoria, Ore., was patrolling
international waters Jan. 26 when it came upon a 30-foot powerboat with
three men on board and what appeared to be several hundred bales of marijuana.

As the Coast Guard pursued the smaller boat, the men threw the bales
overboard. After a seven-hour chase, the smugglers escaped and were last
seen heading toward Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The Coast Guard recovered a total of 3,572 pounds of marijuana from the sea
and turned it over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in San Diego.