The U.S. Coast Guard has seized a record 76,140 pounds of illicit narcotics valued at $473 million, marking the haul the largest drug offload in history, officials announced Monday.
“The U.S. Coast Guard, in partnership with our federal, DoD, and international partners, are offloading 61,740 pounds of cocaine, and this represents a significant victory in the fight against transnational criminal organizations, highlighting our unwavering commitment to safeguarding the nation from illicit trafficking and its devastating impacts,” Rear Adm. Adam Chamie, commander of the Coast Guard’s Southeast District, wrote in a statement.
“To put this into perspective, the potential 23 million lethal doses of cocaine seized by the U.S. Coast Guard and our partners are enough to fatally overdose the entire population of the state of Florida, underscoring the immense threat posed by transnational drug trafficking to our nation.”
The record-setting haul — including 61,740 pounds of cocaine and 14,400 pounds of marijuana — was the result of 19 interdictions in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, with some seizures taking place as far as the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador. The drugs were offloaded in Port Everglades, Florida.
In one case, a Coast Guard team aboard the USCGC Hamilton seized more than 8,800 pounds of cocaine from two vessels off the Galapagos in late June. Other operations stretched from the waters off Venezuela to Mexico’s Pacific coast, where Coast Guard patrol aircraft, unmanned systems, and allied naval ships helped track down drug-laden “go-fast” boats.
The interdictions involved Coast Guard cutters Hamilton, Vigilant, Diligence, and partner ships, including the USS Cole and Royal Netherlands Navy vessel HNLMS Friesland. The seizures also included operations with embarked law enforcement detachments and helicopter interdiction units employing airborne use-of-force tactics.
The announcement comes as President Donald Trump intensifies his crackdown on Latin American cartels, designating several as foreign terrorist organizations and deploying additional U.S. military assets to the Caribbean. Administration officials say more operations targeting smuggling networks are expected in the months ahead.
Capt. John B. McWhite, commanding officer of the Hamilton, praised the crews and families who endured long deployments.
“The commitment and sacrifice of our deployed service members and their families, who forego time together for the protection of our nation, are to be celebrated,” McWhite said.
Officials said the seizures underscore the growing scale of cartel trafficking networks and the risks they pose to the United States, even as law enforcement and military operations intensify across the hemisphere.
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