Coast Guard seizes $220M in cocaine; images show burning boat
The U.S. Coast Guard says crews aboard cutters Midgett and Diligence interdicted multiple suspected drug-smuggling vessels in August and September 2025 under Operation Pacific Viper, seizing roughly 29,826 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of about $220 million. The agency released photos showing crewmembers offloading bales in San Diego on Sept. 25 and a separate image of an alleged smuggling boat burning in the Caribbean a day after a Sept. 7 interdiction north of Panama; officials did not explain how the burning began or whether people remained aboard.
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📰 Sources (1)
Coast Guard releases image of alleged drug boat on fire after seizures
New information:
- USCG Cutter Midgett interdicted vessels in the eastern Pacific and offloaded about 21,126 pounds of cocaine (≈$156.4 million) in San Diego on Sept. 25, 2025.
- USCG Cutter Diligence seized about 8,700 pounds of cocaine (≈$64.5 million) from a vessel roughly 240 miles north of Panama; those drugs were offloaded in Florida.
- The Coast Guard published photos showing seized bales being offloaded and a separate image of an alleged drug boat on fire the day after interdiction; cause of the fire and occupant status were not specified.