By Kerry Breen
December 6, 2025 / 11:54 AM EST / CBS News
A U.S. Coast Guard cutter seized more than 20,000 pounds of cocaine from a single vessel this week, marking the largest at-sea interdiction in nearly two decades, officials said.
The crew of the Munro, a Pacific patrol cutter based in Alameda, California, made the seizure during counter-narcotics operations in the Eastern Pacific as part of Operation Pacific Viper. Video released by the Coast Guard shows Coast Guard assets pursuing a go-fast vessel with multiple people aboard; a helicopter crew disabled the non‑compliant craft, and the Munro arrived on scene to recover the drugs. The agency did not disclose the fate of those who appeared to be on the vessel.
“Our maritime fighting force is leading America’s drug interdiction operations, protecting the Homeland, and keeping deadly drugs out of American communities,” the Coast Guard said in a social media post accompanying a video clip.
The report noted that authorities have long worked to intercept boats moving drugs from Central and South America. The Trump administration expanded Pacific operations and has at times used lethal strikes against suspected smuggling vessels — actions that killed dozens and drew controversy, with some questioning their legality after incidents including a September 2 strike on survivors; the administration defended the strikes.
Separately, Colombian authorities this week seized more than seven tons of cocaine from boats in the Caribbean, the navy said, valuing the drugs at more than $340 million and taking 11 people into custody.