The Coast Guard seized over $250 million worth of illicit drugs in the eastern Pacific on Wednesday.
The offload marks the largest amount of cocaine seized by a single long-range vessel, referred to as a cutter, in a single patrol in Coast Guard history.
Over 49,000 pounds of narcotics, totalling more than $362 million, were offloaded in Port Everglades, Florida, on Wednesday. The load was accumulated in over 15 interceptions in the Pacific, the Coast Guard reported.
“I am extremely proud of the crew’s incredible performance during this deployment,” the commanding officer of the Coast Guard cutter Stone, Capt. Anne O’Connell, said in a news release. “This offload demonstrates our increased posture and continued success in the fight against narco-terrorism and transnational criminal organizations.”
“The Coast Guard, in conjunction with our inter-agency and international partners, continues to patrol areas commonly associated with drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific, denying smugglers access to maritime routes by which they move illicit drugs to our U.S. land and sea borders,” O’Connell added.
The Department of Homeland Security also celebrated the seizures on social media, writing that the Coast Guard is “MAKING AMERICA SAFE AGAIN.”
Under President Donald Trump, tackling the influx of illicit narcotics that have reached the United States through its waterways has taken precedence in the past few months.
A recent memo from the Department of War noted that the administration has prioritized the removal of illicit narcotics before they reach American streets.
GIMENEZ URGES TRUMP TO DROP MEXICO NEGOTIATIONS OVER NARCO-COMMUNIST TIES
Trump even signalled that he would be willing to conduct military strikes in the Pacific, close to where the narcotics were intercepted, in order to prevent drugs from entering U.S. streets.
“Would I launch strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? It’s OK with me, whatever we have to do to stop drugs,” the president said. “Look, I looked at Mexico City over the weekend. There’s some big problems over there. If we had to, would we do what we’ve done to the waterways? You know, there’s almost no drugs coming into our waterways anymore.”
