On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the U.S. Coast Guard had seized more than 100,000 pounds of cocaine as part of its Operation Pacific Viper.
The operation, designed to stop drugs before they reach American shores, occurred in August. Officials said it was a surge of forces in the Eastern Pacific to stop cartels and criminal organizations from getting drugs onto American shores.
Officials said the operation intercepted on average about 1,600 pounds of cocaine per day over the 34-day operation.
“Operation Pacific Viper has proven to be a crucial weapon in the fight against foreign drug traffickers and cartels in Latin America and has sent a clear message that we will disrupt, dismantle, and destroy their deadly business exploits wherever we find it,” U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. “In cutting off the flow of these deadly drugs, the Coast Guard is saving countless American lives and delivering on President Trump’s promise to Make America Safe Again and reestablish our maritime dominance.”
In August, the operation seized more than 76,000 pound of illegal drugs, the Coast Guard’s largest-ever drug offload. The drugs, valued at $473 million, included an estimated 61, 740 pounds of cocaine and approximately 14,400 pounds of marijuana.
“The Coast Guard’s seizure of over 100,000 pounds of cocaine, in such a short timeframe, is a remarkable achievement,” Rear Adm. Jeffrey Novak, deputy commander of U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area, said. “When we say the Coast Guard is accelerating counter-narcotics operations, we mean it. Alongside our partners and allies, our maritime fighting force is scouring drug smuggling routes in the Eastern Pacific and dismantling narco-terrorist networks. We are complementing the Coast Guard’s unique law enforcement authorities with cutting-edge capabilities to stop the flow of deadly drugs that threaten U.S. communities. As we mark our interdiction of 100,000 pounds, we are already working towards the next milestone.”