The U.S. Coast Guard has dealt a crushing blow to international cartels, seizing more than 40,000 pounds of cocaine during a series of high-stakes operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Since August 8, Coast Guard crews carried out over a dozen interceptions, capturing 36 suspected smugglers and confiscating tons of narcotics, according to a Thursday announcement. The seizures were part of Operation Pacific Viper, an intensified crackdown aimed at stopping cartels before their shipments can flood U.S. communities.
The Coast Guard released striking photos of their missions, including one showing service members monitoring a burning vessel intercepted in mid-August. Officials have not confirmed why the vessel erupted in flames, but the image underscores the dangers crews face in these high-risk missions.
The latest success follows a record-setting bust just last week in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where the Coast Guard offloaded over 38 tons of cocaine and marijuana. Officials warned the seized drugs contained “enough lethal doses to overdose the entire population of Florida.”
Beyond the Pacific, counter-drug operations have surged in the Caribbean Sea, where the U.S. military recently executed a “lethal strike” against a Venezuelan drug-running boat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed.
Operation Pacific Viper combines the power of Coast Guard cutters, aircraft, and tactical teams with the support of international partners. Together, they are working to dismantle criminal networks and cut off the flow of narcotics before they reach American shores.
