Piracy off the coast of Venezuela to emerge in 2018. Pirates also make an income by smuggling goods from Trinidad and Tobago into Venezuela, where there is scarcity of numerous common products due to economic issues. With the two countries being two hours apart by water, Venezuelan pirates can receive high profits selling Trinidadian goods in their native country and then return to the island nation to sell discounted Venezuelan contraband. Venezuelans also fear government authorities who are just as desperate, calling law enforcement pirates as well. The violence in the area lead "Trinidad and Tobago Newsday" to name the waters the "Gulf of No Return".
Coast Guard Island Naval Engineering Support Unit Alameda (NESU Alameda were also located on the island until those units were decommissioned in 2013. The functions and capabilities of the units remain as departments within Base Alameda. The facilities on Coast Guard Island also include an industrial service center, enlisted barracks, a medical and dental clinic, and public works facilities to service the island. Originally known as Government Island, this artificial island was formed in 1913 by the dredging project that extended the Oakland Estuary to San Leandro Bay. The Coast Guard first came to the island in 1926 when it established "Base 11"