The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Monro returned home to Alameda, Calif., after more than 119 days at sea on a multi-mission deployment where they seized nearly 10 tons of cocaine.
The Muro left California on Nov. 3, 2025 and traveled more than 26,000 miles into the Eastern Pacific. During its deployment, the ship conducted training workups and participated in the U.S. Department of War’s Resolute Hunter offshore of San Diego, as well as patrolling the Eastern Pacific looking for narcotics as part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Operation Pacific Viper. Additionally, the ship was diverted to the Atlantic Ocean to support Operation Southern Shield.
“The service, our nation and our families can be extremely proud of Munro,” Capt. Jim O’Mara, Munro’s commanding officer, said. “This crew rose to every new challenge thrown at them with professionalism and persistence, and they achieved historic results. This was a one-of-a-kind deployment for us, but it is also just one part of a much broader campaign and U.S. national strategy.”
While supporting Operation South Shield, Munro detected and identified a heavily laden go-fast vessel heading along a known smuggling route in the Eastern Pacific. With the help of two cutter pursuit boats, the Scan Eagle short-range unmanned aerial system, and an embarked MH-65 aircraft from the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON), the Munro found, tracked and interdicted the vessel using warning shots and disabling fire from the HITRON. The ship was able to detain six suspected narco-terrorists and seize 22,052 pounds of cocaine, officials said. The cocaine was valued at more than $250 million – the single largest maritime drug seizure in 18 years, and the largest ever in HITRON’s history.
The vessel also pursued a non-compliant vessel across the North Atlantic Ocean which it ultimately boarded and seized.