The US Coast Guard seized more than 20,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific on December 3, 2025, marking the largest at-sea drug interdiction in 18 years. The bust occurred days before Colombia announced its own major seizure in the Caribbean.
The Coast Guard Operation
The Coast Guard Cutter Munro, based in Alameda, California, made the record-breaking seizure during counter-narcotics operations in the Eastern Pacific south of Mexico. The operation was part of Operation Pacific Viper, a Trump administration effort to stop the flow of illicit drugs through the Pacific Ocean.
A helicopter crew disabled the non-compliant vessel before the Munro arrived on scene to seize the drugs. Video released by the Coast Guard shows Coast Guard vessels pursuing a go-fast vessel with multiple people aboard.
The seizure involved a sniper in a helicopter targeting and disabling the drug boat’s three outboard motors, which enabled the Munro’s crew to board the vessel and capture its crew and cargo.
The Coast Guard did not disclose what happened to the people aboard the drug-running vessel.
Record-Breaking Seizure
This is the largest at-sea interdiction since 2007, breaking an 18-year record. The Coast Guard announced the seizure on December 6, 2025.
The bust comes as part of a record-breaking year for Coast Guard drug interdictions. The Coast Guard seized nearly 510,000 pounds of cocaine during fiscal year 2025, the largest amount in the service’s history and more than three times the annual average of 167,000 pounds.
Colombian Seizure
Just days after the Coast Guard operation, Colombia’s navy announced it had seized 7.1 tons of cocaine during two operations in the Caribbean. The Colombian seizures occurred on December 4 and 5, 2025.
One interdiction took place 90 nautical miles from Barranquilla, a city on Colombia’s northern coast, and the other occurred about 70 miles south in the Gulf of Morrosquillo.
The cocaine was valued at more than $340 million. Colombian authorities arrested 11 people—eight Colombians, two Venezuelans, and one Jamaican.
Colombian officials emphasized that all suspects were captured “without affecting their integrity or their lives”, distinguishing their operation from US tactics that have included lethal strikes on suspected drug-running vessels.
Different Approaches
The Colombian announcement specifically noted that arrests were made without harming the suspects, an apparent reference to the Trump administration’s practice of using lethal force against drug smuggling vessels.
The Coast Guard’s Operation Pacific Viper has employed aggressive tactics including helicopter snipers disabling boat engines, though the Coast Guard has not reported whether suspects have been killed during these operations.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called on the United States to end strikes against apparent drug-carrying vessels in the region.
Scale Comparison
The Coast Guard’s single seizure of more than 20,000 pounds is nearly triple the size of Colombia’s 7.1-ton (approximately 15,600 pounds) haul from two operations combined.
The US seizure represents the largest single interdiction since 2007, while Colombia’s combined operations mark one of that country’s largest recent cocaine busts in the Caribbean.
