FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Diya TV) — In one of the most successful counter-narcotics operations in U.S. history, the U.S. Coast Guard offloaded more than 48,000 pounds of seized illegal drugs valued at over $509 million at Port Everglades on Wednesday morning. The massive drug bust, which spanned multiple interdictions in the eastern Pacific Ocean, is a major blow to transnational criminal organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel, Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación, and Clan del Golfo, federal officials said.
The operation involved 13 separate interdictions carried out by crews from Coast Guard cutters James and Mohawk, supported by aerial surveillance, unmanned drones, and maritime patrol aircraft. In total, crews seized 44,550 pounds of cocaine and 3,880 pounds of marijuana, while 34 suspected traffickers were taken into custody, according to a Coast Guard press release.
“This is a textbook example of the Justice Department supporting the fight against violent crime,” said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. “These drugs are worth over half a billion dollars. What they did saved countless American lives.”
Federal authorities revealed that the seizures were part of a broader effort under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Panama Express Strike Force and Operation Take Back America, a multi-agency campaign to disrupt and dismantle high-level drug trafficking networks.
FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the growing threat of foreign cartels to national security, saying, “There is no lethal force on planet Earth more responsible for overdose deaths of American citizens than these foreign terrorist organizations.”
Vice Admiral Nathan Moore, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area, highlighted the tangible impact of the bust. “This means 154 lives saved from potential cocaine overdoses, nearly 11,000 fewer new cocaine users, and at least $16.5 million saved in health and incarceration costs,” Moore said.
Over 72 hours during the patrol, Cutter James’ crew interdicted six go-fast vessels and one low-profile vessel, seizing over 24,000 pounds of cocaine and detaining 15 traffickers. The operations took place across a vast area of the Pacific Ocean, with key seizures occurring off the coasts of Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, and the Galapagos Islands.
On Jan. 5, a drone onboard Cutter James spotted a suspicious vessel 260 miles off Ecuador. The boarding team intercepted the vessel and seized more than 2,000 pounds of cocaine. Just two days later, a surveillance aircraft identified three more go-fast vessels, leading to the seizure of nearly 14,000 pounds of cocaine and nine arrests.
The interdictions relied on extensive interagency and international cooperation. Supporting assets included the Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON), CBP Air and Marine Operations, and the Joint Interagency Task Force-South (JIATF-S) based in Key West.
“This operation is a powerful example of a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven approach to stopping these criminal enterprises,” Bondi added. “Thanks to the extraordinary work of the Coast Guard and our federal partners, these drugs will never make it to American streets.”
The Coast Guard continues to ramp up efforts to intercept maritime drug shipments. In similar operations earlier this year, Cutter Mohawk and Cutter Stone offloaded more than 46,000 pounds of narcotics in March, valued at $517.5 million, and another 12,000 pounds worth $141 million in early March at Miami Beach.
These sustained efforts have denied criminal organizations over $1 billion in illicit revenue this year alone and supplied key evidence for ongoing prosecutions.
