Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Coast Guard Jurisdiction...

Was reading [b][color:#3333FF]this article, about[/color][/b] the Coast Guard seizing $35 Mil in Cocaine. The article also mentions some CG busts in Costa Rica.

I'm curious to know how Jurisdiction with the CG works.?

Does the CG have arrangements with "friendly" countries to patrol their waters in search of illegal drugs.?

Are they viewed as a portion of the U.S. Military or as a Police entity.?

Just curious as they seem to patrol a Large chunk of water.

I think we police the world. Weather they want us to or not.

In a lot of cases the Coasties are running with their Squid cousins on a Squid vessel and crew, flying a CG flag and under CG operational control.

I can't answer your questions but certainly they are military members. Large numbers of them served in WWII and Vietnam.

Yep, I had Uncles who served proudly in the Coast Guard during WW II in the Pacific Theater.

Steelhead might know.

http://www.uscg.mil/history/articles/Homeland_Security_Baldinelli.asp

Coast Guard evidently is just another part of Homeland Security now.

The Coast Guard used to fall under the Dept Of Commerce or Treasury (can't remember off hand) but they are now under DHS. In times of war as in WWII, they can and have transferred to DoD.

The US Coast Guard is a Branch of the Military, we are also a law enforcement (under the DHS) but we are not part of DOD (but can be in time of war under the USN). We were under Treasury Dept until 1967 then we were transferred to DOT, then to DHS @2002

We are also a Law Enforcement, enforcing maritime laws on US Territorial Waters, international waters and waters we have agreements with other countries. We can also board a US documented boat anywhere.

Here, this explains it:

"The specific statutory authority for the Coast Guard Law Enforcement mission is given in 14 USC 2, "The Coast Guard shall enforce or assist in the enforcement of all applicable laws on, under and over the high seas and waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States." In addition, 14 USC 89 provides the authority for U.S. Coast Guard active duty commissioned, warrant and petty officers to enforce applicable U.S. law. It authorizes Coast Guard personnel to enforce federal law on waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction and in international waters, as well as on all vessels subject to U.S. jurisdiction (including U.S., foreign and stateless vessels)"

Here is the Congressional Medal of Honor Citation for Douglas Munro during the battle of Guadalcanal. CG ran a lot of the landing crafts, also ran many a river boat in Vietnam and we are still in the Persian Gulf.

http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2905/munro-douglas-albert.php



I can barely recall a CG Unit that didn't have this on the walls, Douglas Munro at Guadalcanal.

that's pretty cool..thanks for the info and the service, Steelhead

What gives the right for various Governments to intercept
boats suspected of carrying drugs in the highseas?

I can appreciate if the boat in question is stopped in territorial waters, or as Steely mentioned above, if its a US registered ship, and is stopped by the USN or USCG..

However,I am under the impression that the USCG intercepts a lot of the drug running boast coming up from South America while they are still in international waters..

Are there international laws/treaties that allow them to do this or is it a case of "might is right"?

Gee, I wonder who manlicker would be calling if he were out in the ocean, and it was going to chit..

Not a likely scenario, though.. it would take going outside.

Pete,
There are treaties that allow for it.

Ed

Many boats aren't running flags, so they are open game. There are agreements with some nations and in other cases it takes State department involvement.

We still monitor and unless it is a ship run by Captain Nemo, the will eventually have to come to shore or will cross our lines. You can herd sheep without them knowing you are herding them.

Thanks for the info..

Google "Maritime Security Regime"

In the 1980s for example, US Navy ships would take CG boarding teams as well as a few naval officers from the country which the vessels are registered (Colombia at that time) which allowed them to legally board and search ships registered to that country. The Navy provided the long range staging platform and a helicopter for surface search, the Coastguardsmen did the searching and seizing and the Colombian Naval officers provided the legal basis to do so.

Coasties also have sigint missions around the world. They're in the med and elsewhere

My recollection was the they fell under the Department of Transportation, not Treasury.