EXCLUSIVE: Coast Guard Seizes More Than $33M Worth Of Cocaine In Single Drug Bust

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Escanaba seized more than $33 million worth of cocaine during a routine patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean on Easter Sunday, according to documents obtained by the Daily Caller.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the USCGC Escanaba seized 4,510 pounds of cocaine, worth $33.9 million.

(Photo courtesy of Department of Homeland Security)

A U.S. maritime patrol aircraft alerted the Escanaba that a crew on a suspected narco-terrorist vessel was dumping contraband overboard. Escanaba sent its MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew to investigate and marked the potential drugs off the coast of Manta, Ecuador, according to documents. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: DHS Kills $58M Coast Guard Marketing Deal Over LGBTQ, DEI Ideology)

Escanaba’s crewmembers activated its over-the-horizon cutter pursuit boat crew and relaunched the helicopter aircrew to obtain the contraband. The Escanaba boat crew seized more than 4,510 pounds of cocaine total and transported it back to the cutter, the documents stated.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin in statement that the operation is a key aspect of President Donald Trump’s effort to take down drug cartels.

“Operation Pacific Viper plays a central part of President Trump’s fight against the cartels at sea, cutting off their ability to make money by trafficking their poison into our country,” he said. “This operation has already seized over 215,000 pounds of cocaine and has arrested over 160 suspected narco-traffickers. The brave men and women of the Coast Guard are saving American lives by keeping these deadly drugs out of our communities and off our streets.”

(Photo courtesy of Department of Homeland Security)

The USCG launched Operation Pacific Viper in August 2025, dramatically ramping up counter-drug operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean — a major corridor for narcotics trafficking from Latin America.

As part of the initiative, the Coast Guard surged cutters, aircraft, and specialized tactical teams to detect, interdict and disrupt the flow of illicit narcotics. The operation plays a central role in the Trump administration’s broader push to combat narco-terrorism and dismantle transnational criminal networks, according to the documents. (RELATED: Coast Guard Calls In Reinforcements To Seize Fleeing Oil Tanker — Report)

The effort has already delivered significant results. By February, the Coast Guard had seized more than 200,000 pounds of cocaine under Operation Pacific Viper. In total, the operation has led to over 215,000 pounds of cocaine seized and 160 suspected traffickers apprehended, the documents stated.

(Photo courtesy of Department of Homeland Security)

Operation Pacific Viper has also produced record-breaking busts. In August 2025, the USCGC Hamilton conducted the largest drug offload in Coast Guard history, unloading more than 76,000 pounds of narcotics valued at $473 million. (RELATED: Markwayne Mullin Tells Sanctuary Cities What They Might Lose If They Refuse To Cooperate With DHS)

Just months later, in November 2025, the USCGC Stone set another record for the largest amount of cocaine seized by a single cutter during a single patrol, offloading more than 49,000 pounds of illicit drugs worth an estimated $362 million.