The Coast Guard has seized an unprecedented 40,000 pounds of cocaine in the eastern Pacific, releasing striking images of crew members standing watch over a burning vessel — a vivid testament to the heightened campaign against drug trafficking, CBS News reported.
In its most ambitious effort yet, the Coast Guard has confiscated 40,000 pounds of cocaine in the world's largest ocean in a monthlong surge under Operation Pacific Viper, officials announced Thursday.
The series of operations included more than a dozen interceptions since Aug. 8, resulting in the arrest of 36 suspected drug smugglers and an average interdiction of over 1,600 pounds of cocaine per day.
The Coast Guard credited the operation's early success to coordination across cutters, aircraft, and tactical teams.
Coast Guard Rear Adm. Douglas Schofield, acting deputy commandant for operations, said, "We are leveraging our full range of capabilities to disrupt transnational criminal organizations and cartels and prevent the scourge of illicit drugs from reaching our communities."
Officials did not say what caused the vessel's fire.
In addition to the 40,000-pound seizure, the Coast Guard's cutter Hamilton recently offloaded 76,140 pounds of illicit drugs — including 61,740 pounds of cocaine and 14,400 pounds of marijuana — at Port Everglades, Florida, marking the largest offload in the military service's history.
These results reflect 19 interdictions across the international waters of the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea.
The operations are part of a broader push to project maritime law enforcement presence and thwart the shipment of bulk drugs from South America into U.S. territory.
The Trump administration has taken steps to address transnational criminal threats, including the designation of certain cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.