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The Department of Homeland Security said the U.S. Coast Guard’s Operation Pacific Viper has surpassed 225,000 pounds of cocaine seized in the Eastern Pacific since the operation began in August 2025, reaching the milestone after a recent interdiction by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bear.
While on patrol in the Eastern Pacific this past weekend, the cutter and an embarked helicopter crew detected and disabled two drug-smuggling vessels, resulting in the seizure of 7,707 pounds of cocaine and the apprehension of six suspected narco-terrorists, officials said.
“Operation Pacific Viper stands as a decisive force against narco-terrorists, sending an unmistakable message that we will not allow them to profit off the poisoning of our people,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “The U.S. Coast Guard has prevented more than 225,000 pounds of cocaine from reaching American communities since our operation began. Under President Trump, we are dismantling drug cartels and saving American lives.”
“We own the sea,” said Admiral Kevin Lunday, Commandant of the Coast Guard. “Our forces conducting Operation Pacific Viper continue to defeat the cartels and stop the flow of deadly drugs to the United States.”
DHS said that, using 1.2 grams as a potentially deadly dose, the total amount seized through the operation equates to more than 93 million potentially deadly doses kept off U.S. streets. The department also said 80 percent of all seizures of U.S.-bound narcotics occur at sea, underscoring the impact of maritime interdiction.
According to officials, Operation Pacific Viper has accelerated counter-drug activity along a primary smuggling corridor from Central and South America in the Eastern Pacific, with the Coast Guard surging cutters, aircraft, and tactical teams to interdict, seize, and disrupt cocaine and other illicit drugs. The department said these actions are a key element of a broader U.S. strategy to combat narco-terrorism and dismantle transnational criminal organizations, and that the 225,000 pounds interdicted to date highlights the effectiveness of sustained counter-narcotics operations along maritime routes.
