Coast Guard
Coast Guard seizes 200,000 pounds of cocaine since launch of Operation Pacific Viper
Stars and Stripes
February 5, 2026
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Active crew members stack bales of seized cocaine in San Diego, Dec. 15, 2025. The drugs, worth $203.9 million, were seized in international waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. (Chris Sappey/U.S. Coast Guard)
The U.S. Coast Guard has seized more than 200,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean since launching Operation Pacific Viper last year.
The service reached this milestone with the recent interdictions of 13,337 pounds of cocaine by Coast Guard Cutter Seneca and 13,263 pounds by Coast Guard Cutter Robert Ward, the service announced Thursday.
“Operation Pacific Viper has proven to be a crucial weapon in the fight against foreign drug traffickers and cartels in Latin America and has sent a clear message that we will disrupt, dismantle, and destroy their deadly business exploits wherever we find it,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Operation Pacific Viper has surged cutters, aircraft and tactical teams to disrupt the flow of cocaine and other illicit drugs in the Eastern Pacific.
“Each Coast Guard drug seizure far from our borders prevents deadly drugs from reaching our communities and disrupts the profit that fuels narco-terrorists,” said Adm. Kevin Lunday, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. “The success of Operation Pacific Viper proves that we own the sea, and the proficiency, vigilance, and heart of our crews is our greatest strength.”
In December, the Coast Guard reached a milestone of 150,000 pounds of cocaine seized in the Pacific after interdicting a drug smuggling vessel carrying more than 20,000 pounds of cocaine. The service ended 2025 with its total maritime seizures reaching a record of $3.8 billion worth of narcotics.