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The U.S. Coast Guard reported a record year for cocaine seizures, collecting 225 metric tons over the past 12 months. Despite that milestone, President Donald Trump has pushed forward with a dramatic shift in U.S. anti-drug operations.
Under President Trump, the U.S. military has destroyed 20 suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, actions that officials say resulted in 80 deaths. The administration has described the targeted boats as being operated by cartel members or narco-terrorists transporting drugs to the United States.
The Coast Guard’s recent record cocaine seizure was nearly 40 percent higher than the annual average of the past decade. The haul included 38 tons of cocaine offloaded by the cutter Hamilton after a two-month patrol, the largest amount recovered by a single Coast Guard ship during one deployment. Several cutters also reported major seizures last month as part of Operation Pacific Viper, even during the federal government shutdown.
Most interdictions result in suspects being transported to the United States for prosecution and in authorities collecting intelligence that tracks shifting smuggling patterns. Experts say missile strikes on boats are far more expensive than traditional interdictions and eliminate any chance of gaining information.
“The Coast Guard has extraordinary powers and authorities to do effective drug interdiction without killing unidentified people on small boats,” said Douglas Farah, a national security expert on Latin America and president of IBI Consultants. “When resourced, they are far more effective, sustainable and likely legal than the current Pentagon-led operations.”
Cocaine shipments to the United States typically move north along the Pacific coast of South America into Central America before entering the United States overland through Mexico. Shipments to Europe often travel through the Caribbean, sometimes concealed in container vessels.
Trump has said on social media that the strikes have destroyed boats carrying fentanyl and that each explosion has saved 25,000 American lives. Earlier this year, before the military strike campaign began, Attorney General Pam Bondi traveled to South Florida as the Coast Guard cutter James returned from a patrol that seized 20 tons of cocaine valued at more than $500 million.
Standing alongside FBI Director Kash Patel in front of stacks of plastic-wrapped bales, she praised the long-standing strategy. “This is not a drop in the bucket,” Bondi said. “Behind you is half a billion dollars of pure, uncut cocaine.”