A U.S. Coast Guard crew offloaded over 27,500 pounds of cocaine, worth approximately $203 million, in San Diego on Monday. The haul, seized during maritime interdictions in international waters, marks a major victory in the Trump administration’s efforts to tighten national security and combat drug trafficking.
The drugs were offloaded at the 10th Street Marine Avenue terminal by the crew of the USCGC Active. The cocaine was recovered during three separate interdictions of suspected drug-smuggling vessels operating off the coasts of Mexico, Central America, and South America. Two of the vessels were intercepted by the Active’s crew and one by the USCGC Munro.
Rear Adm. Jeffrey Novak, deputy commander of Coast Guard Pacific Area, detailed the tactics smugglers use, including high-speed panga boats capable of reaching 60 miles per hour. He explained the Coast Guard’s interdiction strategy includes aircraft support capable of firing warning shots and disabling vessels attempting to evade capture.
Twelve suspected traffickers were arrested and now face federal charges. Officials credit the success of the operation to enhanced border enforcement measures under President Trump’s leadership. One official at the offload noted that the administration has effectively sealed the border, increased ocean patrols, and is actively saving lives by stopping deadly narcotics from reaching American communities.
The seizures were part of Operation Pacific Viper, a multi-agency campaign targeting transnational criminal organizations and aimed at reducing illegal drug inflow into the United States.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated that the military’s campaign against narco-terrorist operations is far from over, warning that the crackdown is just beginning.
On the same day as the cocaine offload, President Trump signed an executive order officially classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. This move follows troubling reports that over 34 tons of fentanyl have been seized since the Biden administration began—enough to kill the global population multiple times over.
