Coast Guard seizes 3,825 lbs of cocaine in the Pacific, enough to kill over 1.4 million Americans
Ari Hoffman
Seattle WA
Apr 17, 2026
The US Coast Guard announced Thursday that it offloaded a massive cache of cocaine that they seized from Pacific missions at Base Miami Beach. The amount was enough to kill over a million Americans.
Crewmembers aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Tampa seized approximately 3,825 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated street value exceeding $28.7 million. Officials noted the quantity was potent enough to kill more than 1.4 million Americans.
The drugs were intercepted during two separate operations in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean as part of Operation Pacific Viper, an ongoing counter-narcotics mission focused on disrupting cartel trafficking routes.
“This crew’s performance over the last 74 days has been nothing short of phenomenal,” said Cmdr. Joshua DiPietro, commanding officer of the Tampa, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter based in Portsmouth, Virginia. He highlighted the crew’s ability to execute complex missions while coordinating with US agencies and international partners. “They met every challenge head-on… to disrupt transnational criminal organizations.”
