U.S. Coast Guard Makes History With Record-Breaking Cocaine Seizure In 2025

The U.S. Coast Guard has made the largest drug seizure in its history, confiscating more than 510,000 pounds of cocaine in fiscal year 2025. The drugs, valued at over $7.2 billion, amount to nearly three times the Coast Guard’s usual annual average of around 167,000 pounds.

According to the service, this amount equals about 193 million potentially deadly doses — enough to harm more than half of the U.S. population. Most of the cocaine was seized in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, both known as key smuggling routes for drug cartels.

Admiral Kevin Lunday, Acting Commandant of the Coast Guard, said the achievement reflected the hard work of Coast Guard crews and strong coordination with other agencies.

He said the service’s main goal remains to secure U.S. borders and maritime routes, adding that this record seizure showed progress in stopping transnational criminal networks.

In FY25, @USCG seized over 500K lbs of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific & Caribbean — a historic record, nearly 3× the annual average, and valued at $3.8B.

That’s 193 million potentially lethal doses kept off America’s streets.

Defeating narco-terrorism. Protecting the… pic.twitter.com/szedY1Du6Y

— U.S. Coast Guard (@USCG) November 6, 2025

In August 2025, the Coast Guard launched Operation Pacific Viper, a joint effort with the U.S. Navy to disrupt drug smuggling routes across the Pacific Ocean.

By October, the operation had already led to the seizure of around 100,000 pounds of cocaine, averaging about 1,600 pounds per day, according to Coast Guard data.

The Coast Guard’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) also reached a major milestone this year, completing its 1,000th drug interdiction.

The specialised squadron operates armed helicopters from Coast Guard cutters and is trained to disable high-speed smuggling boats at sea, a mission that significantly contributed to the overall success of 2025’s record seizures.

Officials said the record results were achieved through teamwork across multiple units and agencies. Earlier this year, the Coast Guard Foundation honoured the crews of the Cutter James and Cutter Stone for their record-setting missions and contributions to anti-drug operations.

References: coastguardfoundation, foxnews

Source: Maritime Shipping News