WATCH: US Coast Guard Sinks Drug Boat
US Coast Guard seizes 13,000 pounds of cocaine from ‘drug boat’ | WATCH Photograph: (DHSgov/X)
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released new footage showing U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) operations in the Caribbean, including a dramatic takedown of a drug-smuggling vessel en route to U.S. shores.
The interdiction was part of Operation Pacific Viper, launched last month in the Eastern Pacific. Since August 8, the USCG has conducted 14 interdictions, seizing over 40,000 pounds of cocaine and apprehending 36 suspected smugglers, according to an announcement last Thursday.
In a separate milestone, the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton offloaded 76,140 pounds of illicit drugs — including 61,740 pounds of cocaine and 14,400 pounds of marijuana — at Port Everglades, Florida. The Coast Guard called it the largest drug offload in its history, stemming from 19 interdictions in international waters of the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea.
Over the weekend, DHS shared video of the Cutter Stone crew conducting three interdictions in a single night, seizing nearly 13,000 pounds of cocaine and arresting seven smugglers.
🚨 BREAKING: The US Coast Guard has just BLOWN UP a boat carrying drugs bound for the United States
The Trump admin is NOT playing nice with narcoterrorists
It’s about time! 🔥
This will save COUNTLESS American lives. pic.twitter.com/LlNkBtFdYq
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 9, 2025
The uptick in interdiction activity follows recent comments from President Trump, who on Sunday signaled possible military action against drug cartels operating in Venezuela. When asked if strikes inside Venezuela were being considered, Trump responded, “You’re about to find out.”
This came after the administration confirmed a successful U.S. strike on a Venezuelan boat attempting to smuggle drugs into the country. Trump later shared footage of the strike on social media, warning, “Let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!”
Thousands of Marines, Sailors, and Coast Guardsmen are currently deployed in the Caribbean as part of what officials are calling a “counter-cartel mission” — and U.S. authorities say the results are already evident.