The US Coast Guard medium endurance cutter USCGC Tampa unloaded 3,355 pounds (1,520 kg) of marijuana and approximately 29,600 pounds (13,400 kg) of cocaine at Port Everglades, Florida, on Wednesday, October 14.
The coast guard said the drugs, valued at US$226.7 million, were seized in six interdictions in international waters of the Eastern Pacific during a 60-day patrol. Fifteen suspected smugglers were detained.
Captain Joshua DiPietro, Tampa’s commanding officer, said the cutter’s crew had encountered larger smuggling craft than in previous deployments.
"The vessels we saw this patrol were much more powerful than what I've seen the rest of my career,” said DiPietro. “Most of them averaged around 1,000 horsepower (650 kW), three to four high-power outboard engines, 35 feet (11 metres) minimum, 45 feet (14 metres) maximum, and each of them held much larger loads than we've seen in the past.”
The US Department of Homeland Security detailed three of the operations in September.
On September 15, the helicopter aboard Tampa picked up a vessel suspected of smuggling south of Panama, and a second was spotted as the cutter responded. Both were interdicted and approximately 6,827 kilograms of cocaine were seized.
The following day, the helicopter crew stopped another go-fast vessel in the same area with warning shots and disabling fire.
The coast guard said the 15 detainees would be repatriated rather than prosecuted using federal resources.
The patrol formed part of Operation Pacific Viper, which began in August 2025. The department put the operation's cumulative cocaine seizures at more than 262,000 pounds (119,000 kg) in late September.
