Drug Interdiction & Trafficking

The Coast Guard cutter Munro seized about 20,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific — which the service called the largest at-sea interdiction in more than 18 years — after a Coast Guard helicopter crew disabled a non‑compliant go‑fast vessel, video released by the service shows. The action was part of Operation Pacific Viper, which the Coast Guard says has seized over 150,000 pounds of cocaine (an estimated value exceeding $1.1 billion) since August, with JIATF‑South handling detection and the Coast Guard conducting interdictions and seizures. The service did not disclose the fate of people seen aboard the interdicted vessel, and the operation comes amid broader scrutiny over recent lethal maritime strikes.