by Port Everglades, Florida – The U.S. Coast Guard announced Monday that it has completed its largest-ever drug offload, seizing more than 70,000 pounds of cocaine and marijuana along the Florida coast over the past two months.
Officials said Guardsmen delivered a massive haul of 61,740 pounds of cocaine and 14,400 pounds of marijuana — totaling 76,140 pounds — to Port Everglades on Monday. The drugs, with an estimated street value of $473 million, were confiscated during 19 separate operations between June 26 and August 18.
Operation Pacific Viper
The record-breaking seizure was carried out under Operation Pacific Viper, targeting transnational drug traffickers in international waters near Ecuador, Venezuela, and Mexico.
The largest single capture occurred near Socorro Island, Mexico, where Guardsmen seized 9,160 pounds of cocaine, representing nearly 12% of the entire summer haul. In total, the Coast Guard intercepted 11 “go-fast” vessels and detained 34 alleged traffickers during the multi-month operation.
A Deadly Impact Prevented
Rear Admiral Adam Chamie, commander of the Coast Guard’s Southeast District, underscored the significance of the bust.
“This represents a significant victory in the fight against transnational criminal organizations, highlighting our unwavering commitment to safeguarding the nation from illicit trafficking and its devastating impacts,” Chamie said.
Officials estimated that the seized drugs were enough to supply 23 million lethal doses — a quantity Chamie noted could have fatally overdosed the entire population of Florida, which stands at about 23.7 million residents, according to the 2024 census.
Breaking Previous Records
The new milestone surpasses the Coast Guard’s previous record haul of 61,130 pounds, worth an estimated $1.4 billion. Just weeks earlier, in July, Guardsmen also intercepted about 5,000 pounds of cocaine and marijuana in the Caribbean, though that operation was not included in the historic summer offload.
Wider Trend of Record Drug Seizures
The Coast Guard’s announcement comes amid a string of record-breaking busts nationwide. Earlier this month, the South Dakota Highway Patrol confiscated 207 pounds of crystal meth from an undocumented migrant traveling through the state — the largest single drug seizure in that agency’s history.
With international waters continuing to serve as key routes for trafficking, officials say the latest Coast Guard operation delivers a decisive blow to criminal organizations while sending a clear message of deterrence.
