The information revealed that a grounded fishing vessel contained illegal firearm, ammunition, and illegal drugs. The Coast Guard assisted local law enforcement officers with taking the vessel’s owner into custody near the Southport Harbor marina. Two Coast Guard boarding officers from the station and a marine patrol crew arrived on scene aboard a shallow-draft marine patrol boat to verify the condition of the vessel and to determine if there was any distress or any pollution.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Shawn Durgin, a boarding officer from the station, told that they found ammunition on the boat, so we did a background check on the owner and found out that he was a convicted felon. The marine patrol boat crew transported an Oak Island Police Department K-9 unit and two detectives to search the boat. Shortly after, the owner and operator of the vessel arrived with a crew from the American Fish Company to salvage the vessel.
