The Coast Guard's newest cutter busted 2,100 pounds of cocaine before it even got to home port for the first time

The Murphy remained beside the go-fast boat while the the Midgett hurried to the scene, a trip that took five to six hours, according to Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Stephen Brickey.

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The Coast Guard has law-enforcement authority to conduct a boarding, granted under title 14 US Code § 89, Brickey said in an email. Unlike the Navy, the Coast Guard is exempt from Posse Comitatus.

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The Midgett arrived on the scene, and its crew examined the objects thrown overboard, which tested positive for cocaine. Aboard the go-fast boat, the Midgett's boarding team found more than 2,100 pounds of the drug. The cutter's crew also took the three suspected smugglers into custody.

While the Coast Guard has accepted the Midgett, the ship won't be commissioned until August 24, and even then it will take another 18 months — during which it will get upgrades and installations easier done in port than in a shipyard, Brickey said — before it goes out on operations.

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Despite being pre-commissioned, "this interdiction showcases how ready our crew is and how capable the national-security cutters are," said Capt. Alan McCabe, the Midgett's commanding officer, who highlighted the importance of partnering with the Navy.

"The command and crew went above and beyond the minimal 'ready for sea' requirements needed to sail the ship to Honolulu," Brickey said of the Midgett. "They also made sure they had the necessary qualifications, training, and inbriefs to execute this mission, knowing that part of their voyage would take them through the eastern Pacific ... a hotbed of smuggling activity. "

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