Miami, FL – Newly released footage from the U.S. Coast Guard reveals a dramatic high-speed interdiction in the Eastern Pacific, where helicopter crews opened fire on an alleged drug-running vessel before Coast Guard teams seized thousands of pounds of cocaine. Officials say this operation is part of a months-long campaign that has already removed more than 150,000 pounds of illicit drugs from U.S.-bound trafficking routes since August.
The operation, known as Operation Pacific Viper, has become one of the Coast Guard’s most aggressive and high-yield drug-interdiction efforts in recent years.
Coast Guard Releases Intense Footage of Drug Boat Interception
According to the Coast Guard, the most recent video shows a “heavily laden” go-fast vessel being stopped by “disabling fire” during a pursuit earlier this month. In the footage, a helicopter crew fires multiple rounds toward the vessel’s engines, forcing the boat to stop as the Coast Guard Cutter Munro closed in.
Crew members aboard the Munro ultimately recovered over 20,000 pounds of cocaine, marking the agency’s largest at-sea drug seizure since March 2007. Authorities did not immediately clarify what happened to the individuals aboard the suspected drug boat.
The footage also includes clips from other interdictions, showing tactical teams boarding vessels and detaining unidentified occupants as Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Gimme Back My Bullets” plays over the montage.
Operation Pacific Viper: A Major Blow to Drug Trafficking Routes
The Coast Guard says Pacific Viper has significantly increased pressure on narcotics operations moving drugs from Central and South America toward the United States. Officials boosted their presence in the Eastern Pacific by deploying additional cutters, aircraft, and specialized tactical units.
Roughly 80% of all U.S.-bound narcotics seizures occur at sea, making this region one of the most active drug-trafficking corridors in the world.
Other Coast Guard cutters have also made major contributions during the operation.
- The cutter James intercepted more than 19,800 pounds of cocaine during four seizures in mid-November.
- Another Coast Guard vessel offloaded over 49,000 pounds of illicit drugs, valued at approximately $362 million, during a stop in Florida last month.
Collectively, officials say the drugs seized since the operation began are worth more than $1.1 billion.
How Drug Seizures Begin: Inside U.S. Southern Command’s Operation Hub
The first steps of these interdictions take place at the Joint Interagency Task Force–South in Key West, Florida. From this command center, teams monitor both maritime and aerial drug-transit routes across the Caribbean and Pacific.
Once a suspicious vessel is identified and an interception becomes likely, operational control shifts to the Coast Guard. Boarding teams then physically stop the vessel, secure anyone onboard, and begin the process of seizing its cargo.
Federal Officials Praise the Mission’s Impact
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem highlighted the significance of the campaign in the Coast Guard’s announcement.
“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 them.”
Noem said cutting off drug shipments fulfills a core goal of the administration, emphasizing that removing these narcotics from circulation “is saving countless American lives”.
A Continuing Battle on International Waters
Drug-laden vessels traveling from South and Central America have long posed a challenge for U.S. authorities. Recent years have seen increasingly aggressive interdiction tactics, including lethal-force strikes authorized under the Trump administration. Those actions have drawn debate, particularly after a second strike targeted survivors of an earlier incident in September, raising legal and human-rights concerns.
Despite the controversy, officials say the mission remains essential as traffickers continually evolve their smuggling methods and attempt to outrun maritime enforcement.
Conclusion
With more than 150,000 pounds of cocaine seized since August, Operation Pacific Viper has become one of the Coast Guard’s most impactful drug-interdiction campaigns in years. The newly released video underscores just how dangerous and fast-moving these encounters can be as authorities continue working to disrupt the flow of illegal drugs before they reach U.S. shores.
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