BROWNSVILLE – U.S. Coast Guard officials said they’re taking measures against any potential terroristic threats.

U.S. Coast Guard Cpt. Tony Hahn said there’s always the possibility drug cartels can establish ties with terroristic organizations and plan an attack.

The Coast Guard, along with other federal agencies, state and local law enforcement, met on Wednesday to discuss their plans of action in case of such an attack.

Hahn said the port can be a target because terrorists usually look to strike in areas where they can make the biggest impact.

“They want that impact to have major consequences to a nation or the people. So in the port, there’s a lot of heavy industrialized areas, there’s a lot of huge large ships that come in. Could you imagine if the terrorists sunk a ship in the middle of the ship channel? That would close down the Port of Brownsville for shipping traffic for months,” Hahn said.

The Port police chief said the ship channel is 17 miles long and there’s constant traffic in and out.

An attack to the port, he said, would be a huge financial loss to the entire state.