Coast Guard
Coast Guard seized a record $3.8 billion in narcotics at sea in 2025, service says
Stars and Stripes
January 11, 2026
Coast Guard cutters Halibut, Blackfin and Barracuda conduct a patrol off the coast of Southern California, Nov. 08, 2025. The cutters coordinated the patrol in support of Operation Border Trident to safeguard U.S. borders and ensure maritime safety and security. (Salvador Macias/U.S. Coast Guard)
The U.S. Coast Guard closed out 2025 with record success in maritime drug interdictions, seizing more than 511,000 pounds of narcotics valued at more than $3.8 billion, the service announced in a news release.
Counter-drug and law enforcement operations in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean stopped more than “193 million potentially lethal doses from reaching U.S. communities.”
The service also marked major achievements in contingency responses, border operations, recruitment and advancing Force Design 2028 to meet evolving maritime challenges, the Coast Guard said in the Friday release.
“The men and women of the Coast Guard delivered extraordinary results for our nation in 2025,” Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, the commandant of the Coast Guard, said in a statement. “From securing the border and interdicting illegal drugs to facilitating maritime commerce and responding rapidly to crises, their success is driving the momentum we carry into 2026.”
Here’s a recap of the Coast Guard’s other successes, according to the release:
Controlling, securing and defending U.S. borders: The Coast Guard patrolled over 100,000 miles of U.S. border and interdicted, deterred and transported over 11,000 illegal migrants in 2025.
Responding to major contingencies: The Coast Guard responded to major contingencies in 2025, including flooding in the Pacific Northwest, Texas and Alaska.
In December, the Coast Guard led a multi-agency response to historic flooding in Western Washington, carrying out 17 air missions to rescue people and assess damage.
In November, the Coast Guard successfully fought a fire, conducted salvage, and led recovery efforts on the container ship One Henry Hudson in the Port of Los Angeles.
In October, the Coast Guard saved 34 lives, and evacuated 28 people to Bethel after former typhoon Halong hit Western Alaska, and cleaned up over 500 gallons of spilled fuel to protect local waters.
In July, Coast Guard air crews from Houston and Corpus Christi conducted several flights and rescued and evacuated more than 200 people during catastrophic flash floods in Texas.
Search and rescue missions: Throughout 2025, the Coast Guard conducted thousands of search and rescue cases across coastal waters, offshore regions and inland waterways. In total, Coast Guard crews saved 5,220 lives, assisted 19,437 people and saved or assisted more than $1.02 billion in property.
Record-setting recruitment: The Coast Guard exceeded its fiscal year recruiting goals, adding 5,204 enlisted members — the highest total since 1991. It also surpassed targets for officers and reservists though by smaller margins. The 777 service members added into the reserve force and the 371 newly commissioned officers made for 104% and 101% of the target goals.
Force design 2028: In 2025, the Coast Guard launched Force Design 2028 to modernize workforce, operations, and command, focusing on people, organization, technology, and acquisitions — including adding 15,000 personnel and establishing a service secretary.
Securing the marine transportation system: The Coast Guard conducted 33,370 vessel inspections and 16,012 facility inspections and facilitated the movement of more than 1.8 billion tons of cargo through U.S. waters, helping sustain an economic engine projected to move $5.4 trillion in goods to, from, and within the United States in 2026.
Arctic operations: From July to September 2025, five Chinese research vessels operated over the U.S. extended continental shelf in the Arctic, the largest number to date, according to the release. Coast Guard Cutters Healy, Waesche and Storis intercepted and challenged these vessels.
The Coast Guard also conducted a series of high-profile boardings of oil tankers suspected of violating U.S. sanctions and maritime regulations including M/V Skipper and Centuries.