Coast Guard torches boat carrying $54 million worth of cocaine
A Coast Guard cutter near Puerto Rico intercepted a small boat carrying approximately 7,250 pounds (about $54.5 million worth) of cocaine, believed to be headed to the U.S. from Latin America. The boat was destroyed at sea after being filled with bundles of cocaine. The operation involved coordinated efforts between the coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and air patrols, successfully stopping over 7,000 pounds of cocaine from reaching U.S. communities. The five individuals aboard were detained and may face federal drug smuggling charges. This operation underscores the ongoing efforts by U.S. authorities to combat drug trafficking in the region, with recent initiatives including targeted strikes against drug vessels departing Venezuela and increased interdictions since President Trump declared a new war on drugs in early 2025. Over the past decade,U.S. agencies have seized billions of dollars worth of cocaine destined for the united States.
A Coast Guard cutter deployed near Puerto Rico interdicted a suspected drug boat carrying approximately $54.5 million worth of cocaine that authorities believe was headed to the United States from Latin America.
The crew of the CGC Richard Dixon intercepted five people aboard a small boat roughly 50 miles south of the Caribbean U.S. territory on Friday, the Department of Homeland Security military branch announced Thursday morning.
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The boat was filled with bundles of cocaine that totaled 7,250 pounds. The Coast Guard destroyed the boat and the cocaine at sea.
“The Richard Dixon crew, Air Station Miami and our Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations partners stopped more than 7,000 pounds of cocaine before it could reach our communities, and we will keep taking the fight to the criminal networks that threaten our region,” Adm. Adam Chamie, the Coast Guard Southeast District commander, said in a statement.
Lt. Cmdr. Michael Torgesen, the CGC Richard Dixon commanding officer, called it an “outstanding team effort thanks to seamless coordination” between the Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations.
The five people on board were not identified by the Coast Guard but were detained and could face federal drug smuggling charges.
The Coast Guard heavily relies on CBP’s AMO pilots and crew flying in the sky to spot suspected drug boats in the international waters around Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
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As of 2019, the Drug Enforcement Administration estimated CBP’s planes had stopped $3.37 billion worth of cocaine last year and just shy of $25 billion worth of cocaine from being trafficked to the U.S. over the past decade.
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The Trump administration is seizing record-setting amounts of illegal drugs heading for the U.S. in the months after President Donald Trump declared a new war on drugs upon taking office in January 2025.
Late last year, the Pentagon began targeting suspected drug vessels departing Venezuela for the U.S., striking and detonating them from the skies.
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