WASHINGTON, USA — The US Coast Guard announced Tuesday it has seized more than 150,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean since launching Operation Pacific Viper in early August.
With a dose of 1.2 grams of cocaine being enough to kill a person, the amount seized through Operation Pacific Viper equates to over 57 million potentially lethal doses.
“Operation Pacific Viper has proven to be a crucial weapon in the fight against foreign drug traffickers and cartels in Latin America and has sent a clear message that we will disrupt, dismantle and destroy their deadly business exploits wherever we find them,” US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. “In cutting off the flow of these deadly drugs, the Coast Guard is saving countless American lives and delivering on president Trump’s promise to Make America Safe Again and reestablish our maritime dominance.”
Through Operation Pacific Viper, the Coast Guard has been accelerating counter-drug operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, where significant transport of illicit narcotics continues from Central and South America. The Coast Guard surged additional assets — cutters, aircraft and tactical teams — to interdict, seize and disrupt transshipments of cocaine and other bulk illicit drugs. Operation Pacific Viper continues the Coast Guard’s efforts to protect the Homeland, counter narco-terrorism and disrupt Foreign Terrorist Organizations, Transnational Criminal Organizations and cartels seeking to produce and traffic illicit drugs into the United States; 80 percent of all US-bound narcotics seizures occur at sea, highlighting the impact of maritime drug interdiction.
“This milestone is a testament to the vigilance and tenacity of our crews,” said Adm. Kevin Lunday, the Coast Guard’s acting commandant. “When we say we own the sea, it reflects our relentless pursuit to securing the maritime domain and disrupting the criminal networks that threaten our communities.”
Recent operations have highlighted the effectiveness of this surged posture, including multiple record-setting efforts. On December 2, Coast Guard Cutter Munro seized over 20,000 pounds of cocaine in a single interdiction, after utilising disabling fire on a heavily laden go-fast vessel. This was the Coast Guard’s largest at-sea interdiction since March 2007. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter James executed a remarkable run of four significant seizures across 10 days in November, netting 19,819 pounds of cocaine. This series of interdictions included 9,581 pounds on November 15, 3,225 pounds on November 23, and two separate seizures on November 25 totaling 7,055 in coordination with Coast Guard Cutter Active.
The success of Operation Pacific Viper is marked by unprecedented seizure amounts, demonstrating continued success in the fight against narco-terrorism and Transnational Criminal Organizations. These operations deny smugglers from using Eastern Pacific maritime routes to transport illicit narcotics from South and Central America to the United States. The Coast Guard Cutter Stone made history in November, offloading approximately 49,010 pounds of illicit narcotics worth over $362 million at Port Everglades — the largest single-patrol seizure by any Coast Guard cutter.
These continuous interdictions deny criminal organisations more than $1.1 billion in illicit revenue. By disrupting the flow of cocaine and other bulk illicit drugs, the Coast Guard is cutting off revenue that fuels the ability for narco-terrorists to produce and traffic illegal fentanyl, threatening American communities.
Detecting and interdicting narco-terrorism on the high seas involves significant interagency and international coordination. US Southern Command’s Joint Interagency Task Force-South, based in Key West, Florida, detects and monitors both aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs. Once interdiction becomes imminent, the law enforcement phase of the operation begins, and control of the operation shifts to the US Coast Guard throughout the interdiction and apprehension. Interdictions in the Eastern Pacific Ocean are performed by members of the US Coast Guard under the authority and control of the Coast Guard’s Southwest District, headquartered in Alameda, California.
The Coast Guard is the United States’ lead federal agency for maritime drug interdiction. We are part of the Department of Homeland Security team protecting our nation and are at all times a military service and part of the joint force defending it.
