The U.S. Coast Guard has executed its most significant single drug seizure since its founding—over 76,000 pounds of illegal narcotics were confiscated and offloaded at Port Everglades, Florida, this past Monday, August 25.
That haul was comprised of approximately 61,740 pounds of cocaine and 14,400 pounds of marijuana, with an estimated street value of $473 million.
The scale of the threat is capped by Rear Admiral Adam Chamie’s stark comparison: the amount of cocaine seized equates to 23 million lethal doses—enough to potentially fatally overdose the entire population of Florida.
In his complete statement, Rear Admiral Chamie stated:
“The U.S. Coast Guard in partnership with our federal, DoD, and international partners are offloading 61,740 pounds of cocaine, and 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.
“To put this into perspective, the potential 23 million lethal doses of cocaine seized by the U.S. Coast Guard and our partners, are enough to fatally overdose the entire population of the state of Florida, underscoring the immense threat posed by transnational drug trafficking to our nation.”
This milestone occurred as part of Operation Pacific Viper, a concerted effort by the Coast Guard alongside U.S. Navy and international partners to stop drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea.
Between June 26 and August 18, 2025, 19 maritime interdictions were carried out. Assets deployed included three Coast Guard cutters, two U.S. Navy warships, a Dutch naval vessel, and multiple interagency and international collaborators.
The Cutter Hamilton played the central role, personally offloading the record haul and intercepting 11 go-fast vessels, detaining 34 suspected traffickers, and seizing about 47,000 pounds of cocaine.
Admiral Kevin Lunday, acting Commandant of the Coast Guard, reaffirmed that this operation underscores the agency’s capability to “defeat drug smugglers at sea” and protect the homeland
