Coast Guard sets historic record with amount of cocaine seized in FY25
Posted on November 6, 2025 by Seapower Staff
From Headquarters, U.S. Coast Guard, Nov. 6, 2025
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard announced Thursday it seized nearly 510,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean during fiscal year 2025 (FY25), the largest amount in the Service’s history.
On average, the Coast Guard seizes 167,000 pounds of cocaine annually. The amount seized in FY25 is over three times that amount, and equivalent to 193 million potentially lethal doses (1.2 grams), enough to endanger over half of the U.S. population.
“The Coast Guard’s top priority is to achieve complete operational control of the U.S. border and maritime approaches,” said Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard. “We own the sea, and this historic amount of cocaine seized shows we are defeating narco-terrorist and cartel operations to protect our communities and keep dangerous drugs off our streets.”
Detecting and interdicting narco-terrorism on the high seas involves significant interagency and international coordination. U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Interagency Task Force-South, based in Key West, Florida, detects and monitors both aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs. Once interdiction becomes imminent, the law enforcement phase of the operation begins, and control of the operation shifts to the U.S. Coast Guard throughout the interdiction and apprehension.
https://seapowermagazine.org/coast-guard-sets-historic-record-with-amount-of-cocaine-seized-in-fy25/
