Coast Guard seizes 4,500 lbs of cocaine worth $34 million off Ecuador coast
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The US Coast Guard seized more than 4,500 kilograms of cocaine worth nearly $34 million from a suspected terrorist vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Easter Sunday, officials said.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Coast Guard in Escanaba was alerted by a maritime surveillance plane that the crew of a suspected narco-terrorist vessel was throwing illegal contraband.
The Coast Guard sent an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter to investigate the ship, which was operating off the coast of Manta, Ecuador.
DHS said Escanaba crews planted a hunting boat and found more than 4,510 pounds of cocaine.
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Coast Guard personnel intercepted a suspected terrorist vessel and seized thousands of kilograms of cocaine, officials said. (Department of Homeland Security)
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the recovery was part of Operation Pacific Viper, an anti-drug operation launched in August 2025 in the Eastern Pacific.
“Operation Pacific Viper plays a key role in President Trump’s fight against the ocean cartels, cutting off their ability to make money by smuggling their poison into our country,” Mullin said in a statement. “This operation has already seized more than 215,000 cocaine and has arrested more than 160 suspects suspected of drug trafficking.”
US Coast Guard personnel display cocaine seized following an anti-drug operation in the Eastern Pacific, officials said. (Department of Homeland Security)
He added, “The brave men and women of the Coast Guard save American lives by removing these deadly drugs from our communities and our streets.”
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The US Coast Guard has seized more than 4,500 kilograms of cocaine from a suspected terrorist vessel in the Eastern Pacific, officials said. (Department of Homeland Security)
DHS said the Coast Guard’s efforts to disrupt drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific are an important part of the Trump administration’s initiative to fight terrorism and dismantle transnational organized crime.
Through Operation Pacific Viper, the Coast Guard seized more than 215,000 kilograms of cocaine and arrested more than 160 suspected drug traffickers.
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The US Coast Guard seized an estimated $34 million worth of cocaine during an operation in the Eastern Pacific, officials said. (US Coast Guard)
According to DHS, this operation included the largest drug seizure by the Coast Guard in its history, when they found more than 76,000 illegal drugs in August 2025, valued at $473 million.
The Coast Guard also seized nearly 50,000 kilograms of illegal drugs in November 2025, worth $362 million – the largest amount of cocaine ever seized by a single Coast Guard cutter.
