The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded approximately 46,000 pounds of seized illegal drugs Thursday at Port Everglades, following a series of 14 interdictions in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The contraband, valued at over $517.5 million, was seized by crews aboard Coast Guard cutters Stone and Mohawk during a four-month deployment targeting maritime drug trafficking.
The seized drugs, including roughly 45,600 pounds of cocaine and 50 pounds of marijuana, were the result of coordinated efforts by the Coast Guard’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) and Tactical Law Enforcement Team-Pacific (PAC-TACLET).
“You’ve heard it said before that the @USCG‘s national security cutters are game changers in the counter-drug mission, but they require a crew of men and women willing to serve on or over the sea and place themselves in harm’s way,” said Capt. Carter, commanding officer of Stone. pic.twitter.com/HXcSxREkcX
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) March 20, 2025
The interdictions occurred in international waters off the coasts of Mexico, Central, and South America. Authorities reported that 35 suspected smugglers were detained and transferred to the United States for federal prosecution.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was present at the port for the offload and praised the crews for their efforts. She called the event “a historic day” and said the seizure aligns with President Donald Trump’s mission to protect U.S. communities from drug-related harm.
Before drug smugglers and criminal illegal immigrants can even reach our shores, our @USCG is already looking for them—patrolling the sky and water.
Joined the brave men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard today patrolling for drug runners. Proud of our Coast Guardsmen who are… pic.twitter.com/KiNrFjlVBH
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) March 21, 2025
Capt. Jonathan Carter, commanding officer of the Stone, highlighted his crew’s performance during the deployment. “In one exceptional case, the crew interdicted four go-fast vessels in 15 minutes, seizing nearly 11,000 pounds of cocaine,” Carter said.
Among the drug seizures, crews intercepted several go-fast boats and low-profile vessels operating off the coasts of Ecuador, Colombia, and Mexico. One operation on December 22 resulted in the seizure of over 12,000 pounds of cocaine from a vessel near the Galapagos Islands. In another mission on February 25, Coast Guard members working with Costa Rican authorities seized over 1,900 pounds of drugs and turned over suspects and the vessel to local officials.
This operation marks the largest single deployment seizure in Coast Guard history. It follows a March 6 offload in Miami Beach, where the Coast Guard brought in more than 12,000 pounds of cocaine from six interdictions.
Six interdictions. 12,000+ pounds of illegal drugs. $141 million street value. These drugs were seized during SIX interdictions conducted by multiple Coast Guard crews and teams, as well as Royal Dutch and Royal Canadian Navy partners.⁰⁰Just another Thursday offload for the… pic.twitter.com/f3LzAxCTBI
— U.S. Coast Guard (@USCG) March 7, 2025
Rear Adm. Joshua Lasky, deputy director of the Joint Interagency Task Force, said the operation sends a clear message to traffickers that the Coast Guard has control of the maritime domain. “We own the sea, not you,” he said.
The interdictions involved multiple agencies, including Joint Interagency Task Force-South, the Eleventh Coast Guard District, and international partners like Costa Rica. Several seizures were linked to cartels recently designated as foreign terrorist organizations, including the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels.
USCGC Stone, a 418-foot Legend-class national security cutter homeported in Charleston, South Carolina, played a leading role in the operation. Stone’s boarding officers were trained at the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Law Enforcement Academy, which marked its 20th anniversary this month.
