The U.S. Coast Guard announced this week that it has seized over 100,000 pounds of cocaine and apprehended 86 suspects in the Eastern Pacific Ocean since launching Operation Pacific Viper in early August.
Officials said the drug seizures resulted from 34 Coast Guard interdictions focused on the narco-trafficking of cocaine and other illicit narcotics from Central and South America.
“The Coast Guard’s seizure of over 100,000 pounds of cocaine, in such a short timeframe, is a remarkable achievement,” said Rear Adm. Jeffrey Novak, deputy commander of U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area. “When we say the Coast Guard is accelerating counter-narcotics operations, we mean it.”
Novak says the Coast Guard, with assistance from international and interagency partners, is scouring drug smuggling routes and dismantling narco-terrorist networks.
Officials said the operation is netting — on average — 1,600 pounds of cocaine a day.
“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,” Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem posted on X.
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