The US Coast Guard (USCG) is seizing an average of more than 1,800 pounds of drugs each day through "Operation Pacific Viper" since it launched the crackdown against cartel smugglers last month.
On August 25, 2025, alone, the crew of the USCG Cutter Hamilton returned to Miami with an astounding 76,140 pounds of seized drugs aboard from one patrol that resulted in 19 smuggling boats being intercepted in the Pacific.
Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton's crew offloaded 61,740 pounds of cocaine and 14,400 pounds of marijuana - a haul valued at $473 million, marking the largest quantity of drugs offloaded in Coast Guard history.
The tactics the Coast Guard is using in the Pacific - stopping and boarding suspected cartel drug smuggling boats - stand in sharp contrast to some tactics being employed in the Caribbean.
Beginning on September 2, 2025, the US Military, acting on orders of President Donald J. Trump, began opening fire on suspected smuggling boats. Three small boats have been destroyed so far, killing 17 people aboard the vessels.
These deadly attacks are not without their critics. The New York Times reports that Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, is among those questioning the need for lethal force:
“If there’s a civilian boat that’s suspected of anything, particularly in international waters, you have to make an attempt to stop the boat. You only fire, really, if fired upon.” - US Senator Jack Reed
President Trump, however, says the use of deadly force will continue. After the first attack, President Trump told reporters, "There’s more where that came from."
Do you support the use of deadly force against suspected drug-smuggling boats?
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Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
