US Coast Guard Seizes 11.5 Tonnes of Cocaine in Six-Day Pacific Blitz
Three interdictions in the Eastern Pacific net 11,456 kg of cocaine, equivalent to 9.5 million lethal doses.
The U.S. Coast Guard has intercepted more than 11.456 tonnes of cocaine in a six-day operation across the Eastern Pacific, disrupting narcotics smuggling routes used by transnational criminal organisations.
The seizures, conducted under Operation Pacific Viper, involved three separate interdictions by the crew of the USCGC Tampa, a cutter deployed to counter drug trafficking in international waters.
How the Coast Guard Stopped 9.5 Million Lethal Doses
The USCGC Tampa launched its embarked helicopter and cutter boat to intercept the suspect craft. After the helicopter crew fired warning shots, Coast Guard law enforcement personnel boarded the vessel and discovered 3,100 kilograms of cocaine. Three suspected smugglers were taken into custody, and the vessel was scuttled as a hazard to navigation.
Five days later, on September 15, the Tampa’s helicopter spotted two additional smuggling vessels operating south of Panama. Coast Guard personnel interdicted both, seizing 6,827 kilograms of cocaine and detaining six suspected smugglers. The following day, the cutter was diverted to another go-fast vessel in the same region. This time, the helicopter crew employed disabling fire to stop the boat, leading to the seizure of 1,568 kilograms of cocaine and the interdiction of four suspected narco-terrorists.
The combined haul from the three operations totalled 11,456 kilograms, or more than 25,000 pounds, of cocaine. Given that 1.2 grams of the drug is considered a potentially deadly dose, the seizures prevented approximately 9.5 million lethal doses from entering the illicit supply chain.
Operation Pacific Viper’s Record-Breaking Impact
The latest seizures push the total cocaine intercepted under Operation Pacific Viper to over 260,000 pounds, surpassing a previous milestone of 225,000 pounds.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin praised the efforts, stating in a press release:
“In just six days, the Coast Guard Cutter Tampa has seized more than 25,000 pounds of cocaine in three interdictions, bringing the total amount of cocaine seized in Operation Pacific Viper to more than 260,000 pounds. Thanks to the hard work of the brave men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard, more than 9 million lethal doses of cocaine will never reach our shores. President Trump promised to make America safe again, and stopping these drugs from infecting our communities is exactly how we do it. DHS is committed to keeping our borders secure, on land and at sea.”
Markwayne Mullin·DHS Secretary
Admiral Kevin Lunday, Commandant of the Coast Guard, emphasised the strategic importance of the operation:
“We own the sea, and Operation Pacific Viper is proving that every day. Coast Guard crews are taking the fight to narco-terrorists in the maritime domain, denying them the routes they rely on to move drugs, money and violence, while protecting the homeland and disrupting transnational criminal organisations far from U.S. shores.”
Kevin Lunday·Commandant of the Coast Guard
The detained suspects, including the 13 individuals embarked during the recent interdictions, will be transferred to U.S. authorities for prosecution. The USCGC Tampa, which has been instrumental in the operation, continues its patrol in the Eastern Pacific, ready to respond to further threats in one of the world’s most active narcotics trafficking corridors.
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