Exclusive: Massive Cocaine Seizure by Coast Guard
The Coast Guard Cutter Munro made headlines this Tuesday by confiscating over 20,000 pounds of cocaine during a significant drug enforcement operation. This marks the largest seizure conducted by a national security cutter targeting a speedboat.
Video footage, recently made available, depicts Coast Guard personnel, including snipers from the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) based in Jacksonville, Florida, taking aim at a high-speed boat as part of Operation Pacific Viper. The mission reportedly resulted in the seizure of more than 7.5 million doses of potentially lethal cocaine in the eastern Pacific Ocean, just south of Mexico, according to the agency.
Initiated in August, Operation Pacific Viper is a cooperative effort between the Coast Guard and Navy aimed at combating the influx of illegal drugs into the United States. This aligns with former President Trump’s overarching strategy to dismantle drug cartels operating in Latin America.
As of October, the Coast Guard disclosed that it had seized 100,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific as part of this operation, averaging about 1,600 pounds of cocaine confiscated daily.
Snipers from the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron are employed specifically to target and disable the engines of boats suspected of carrying illegal narcotics. This tactic allows for other Coast Guard personnel to board the vessels and secure the drugs.
Speedboats, often referred to as “go-fast” boats, are frequently utilized for drug transportation in the Caribbean.
In fiscal year 2025 alone, the Coast Guard reported seizing around 510,000 pounds of cocaine, a record-breaking amount for the agency. This volume translates to roughly 193 million potentially lethal doses—enough to endanger more than half of the U.S. population. Furthermore, this quantity surpasses the service’s annual average by more than three times.
The Trump administration has maintained a stringent approach toward drugs entering the U.S. and, earlier this year, designated several drug cartels, including Torren de Aragua and Sinaloa, as foreign terrorist organizations.
In addition to Operation Pacific Viper, the administration has undertaken at least 21 aggressive actions against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in Latin American waters since September. Questions about the legality of these operations have arisen among lawmakers, but the Trump administration insists it possesses the authority to conduct these attacks, especially following reports of a second strike on a vessel after the initial one left survivors.
On a related note, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with several other senators, has proposed a war powers resolution aimed at restricting President Trump’s ability to utilize military force in or against Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Army Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized that offensive measures would persist. “We just started attacking drug ships and putting narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean because they are poisoning the American people,” he stated recently.
