Coast Guardsmen watch over cocaine seized from a boat in the Gulf of Mexico. The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for maritime drug interdiction and shares lead responsibility for air interdiction with the U.S. Customs Service. As such, it is a key player in combating the flow of illegal drugs to the United States. The Coast Guard's mission is to reduce the supply of drugs from the source by denying smugglers the use of air and maritime routes in the Transit Zone, a six million square mile area, including the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Eastern Pacific. In meeting the challenge of patrolling this vast area, the Coast Guard coordinates closely with other federal agencies and countries within the region to disrupt and deter the flow of illegal drugs. US Coast Guard Art Program 2003 Collection, Ob ID # 200308, "Coast Guard watches Cocaine Seizure," Nydia Preede, watercolor, 16 x 20
