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Posted on 08/27/2006 12:52:44 PM PDT by SandRat
NAPLES, Italy, Aug. 27, 2006 – U.S. Navy frigate USS Boone intercepted a drug-smuggling speedboat Aug. 24 while enroute from Algeria to Spain during a patrol of the Mediterranean Sea south of the Spanish coastline. According to U.S. Navy 6th Fleet officials, the crew abandoned its cargo—five packages of marijuana weighing 90 kilograms--when the USS Boone was sighted and entered Algerian territorial water. The Boone’s crew confiscated the marijuana.
A few hours later, near the same location, the USS Boone encountered two small rubber boats in apparent distress, officials said. The ship approached the boats and found 26 people on board. A Spanish Coast Guard vessel intervened to assist and rescued all 26 passengers, taking them ashore.
The USS Boone is part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 and is currently participating in Operation Active Endeavor. The allied component maritime commander, Vice Admiral Roberto Cesaretti, who is responsible for the operation, sent his congratulations to the crew via the military code “Bravo Zulo” and stressed the importance of the operation.
Operation Active Endeavor is NATO's maritime contribution to the fight against terrorism. Launched in October 2001, it continues to conduct surveillance and monitoring operations of the major shipping lanes in the Mediterranean.
(From a U.S. European Command news release.)
BRAVO ZULU NAVY!
Why is the Navy doing police work? For Spain?
I agree that this is another abuse of our tax dollars. I can see W loving it!
That sppedboat could have been smuggling arms and explosives, perhaps even cash. As for the boats in distress, that's between you and your conscience.
Think it through. This is an announcment for smugglers of all types, including terrorists, that we're out there and we're willing to take action, even when it's not "our problem."
It was the right thing to do, unless you're one of those who want to climb into a hole and pull in the sod over our heads.
You can't hide from this stuff.
Nothing wrong with US personnel doing liaison work with Spanish authorities. But Navy ships aren't Spanish (or American) police vehicles.
When the Spanish potheads come after me, I'll post an apology. /sarc
NATO has had a standing naval force for 50 years or more, and a U.S. ship has almost always been part of it. It's usually a six month deployment and command of the force rotates among the NATO countries. My ship did a spell with what as then called STANDNAVFORLANT back around 1980 and we had a Dane as commodore. While a part of it USS Boone does what the force is assigned to do, and if it's to stop smugglers in the Mediterranean then that's it.
When Al Qaeda smuggles a nuke into your town via the "Spanish pot heads" supplier you won't have the chance to post an apology.
Worse, if they were to smuggle one into my town I won't have the chance to tell you what a fool you were.
No sarcasm there at all. Just simple facts.
If you don't see that then you don't see anything.
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
Why did they keep the dope?
Sounds like it's within their orders to me.
"abuse"
Excuse me .. you'd rather the drug smugglers were successful ..?? Not me!
Well, I guess that pretty much summarizes your agenda, doesn't it?
Excuse me, but I didn't think our borders had been expanded so far... or are you one of the Globalists among us?
Since when are we supposed to be baby-sitting for other countries? I can think of a few better places if you wanted to affect American citizens drug use. I can also think of a lot better things for a fighting force to be doing with fighting going on in the world!
When they confiscated the dope, they went past legit NATO business into civilian police work. If that is what is expected from our armed forces, I find it troubling.
Your stash running low...?
Hey for once the Coast Guard doesn't get first pick.
They have a legit right to stop and search suspicious vessels.
If they start dumping contriband, well that's the smuggler's blues ain't it?
We're part of NATO and it's a NATO mission to secure the sea lanes in the Med. That's why the Boone was there, not some "globalist expansion of our borders" strawman you offer up.
Yes, Thomas Jefferson was really out of line on that one.
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