USCG Seize $ 3.7 mi Marijuana
The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Paul Clark is scheduled to offload approximately 4,100 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated wholesale value of $3.7 million at Coast Guard Base Miami Beach, Wednesday. While on a routine patrol, a Joint Interagency Task Force South maritime patrol aircraft detected a suspicious go-fast vessel south of Jamaica. The crew aboard the aircraft notified the crew of the Paul Clark and vectored the cutter to intercept and conduct a law enforcement boarding of the suspect vessel. Once aboard the go-fast vessel, the Coast Guard boarding team removed 103 bales of contraband that later tested positive for marijuana.
The Commissioning of Paul Clark
It was 1942 during the allied assault on French Morocco. Fireman 1st Class Paul Leaman Clark was a landing boat engineer attached to the USS Joseph T. Dickman supervising the unloading of soldiers and supplies from the transports on the beach. Early into the assault, Clark was unloading a transport when his boat was battered with machinegun fire; the bowman was mortally wounded and the coxswain was severely injured. Despite the perilous conditions, Clark took control of the boat and withdrew from the beach with the injured crewmember aboard.