USS Kidd returns from counternarcotics deployment

USS Kidd
USS Kidd with Ecuadorian Navy assets (Credit:US Navy)

USS Kidd (DDG 100) returned to its homeport of U.S. Naval Station Everett following the ship’s deployment to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations on 21st September, the U.S. Navy announced.

Kidd, along with an embarked detachment from the “Wolf Pack” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 75 (HSM 75), deployed in April 2020 to conduct U.S. Southern Command and Joint Interagency Task Force South’s enhanced counternarcotics operations missions in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean.

During their deployment, Kidd Sailors aided embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) in the recovery of 805 kilograms of suspected cocaine worth over an estimated wholesale value of $30 million. In addition, the crew rendered assistance to a fishing vessel in distress, towing the vessel over 200 nautical miles to safety, and participated in a passing exercise (PASSEX) with the El Salvadoran navy.

Kidd partnered with other U.S. Navy warships, as well as numerous U.S. agencies from the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security, in the effort to combat transnational organized crime.

The Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with allied and international partner agencies, are all playing a role in counter-drug operations.