More than 33,000 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $468 million was offloaded by the U.S. Coast Guard Tuesday in San Diego.

Officials say the drugs were seized through eight separate smuggling vessel interdictions in February and March of this year.

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Munro, which offloaded the cocaine on Tuesday, seized the drugs from vessels off the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America.

Rear Admiral Andrew Sugimoto, commander of Coast Guard District 11, said in a statement, “I am extremely proud of this crew and their dedication to disrupting organized crime in the Eastern Pacific. The effort put in while interdicting more than 33,000 lbs of cocaine in a few weeks’ time is unparalleled.”

The seizures took place on:

• Feb. 21, 3,946 lbs of cocaine seized
• Feb. 24, 3,803 lbs of cocaine seized
• Feb. 26, 3,108 lbs of cocaine seized
• March 10, 4,709 lbs of cocaine seized
• March 17, 7,852 lbs of cocaine seized
• March 18, 2,841 lbs of cocaine seized
• March 18, 2,841 lbs of cocaine seized
• March 23, 4,784 lbs of cocaine seized

“The crew put in an incredible amount of work over very long hours, and I couldn’t be prouder of them,” said Capt. Rula Deisher, Coast Guard Cutter Munro’s commanding officer. “Their dedication and grit goes to show that Munro is one of the best national security cutters in the fleet, and we are committed to keeping the country safe by stopping illegal drugs before they hit the street.”

City News Service contributed to this article.

Vice President Mike Pence and his wife met with leaders of Chabad of Poway Thursday during a day-long official visit to the San Diego area.

“Karen and I were honored to stop by the Chabad of Poway, the site of a terrible shooting in April,” Pence tweeted after the meeting. “No one should fear in a house of worship. We will always condemn evil acts of anti-Semitism.”

Lori Gilbert Kaye, 60, was killed in the April 27 shooting, which occurred on the last day of the Jewish holiday of Passover. Senior Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein and two other people were injured.

Pence told Goldstein “your faith and courage are an inspiration to the nation.”

Earlier the Pences toured Naval Amphibious Base Coronado where SEAL teams train, and boarded the Coast Guard Cutter Munro as it offloaded 39,000 pounds of cocaine from drug seizures in the eastern Pacific.

“The Coast Guard is seizing illegal drugs at a faster rate than ever before,” Pence told the crew of the Munro. “And you all have been at the tip of the spear, making that happen.”

Pence warned that drug smuggling and an overwhelmed immigration system were interrelated challenges for the United States.

“Every day that our southern border remains unsecured gives criminal syndicates and drug traffickers more opportunity to peddle their poison and spread the violence that’s cut short too many American lives,” he said.

“This President and this administration are determined and will not rest until we secure our southern border and we end the crisis at our southern border once and for all.”