{"id":2592237,"date":"2026-04-18T08:18:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T12:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/authorities-seize-enough-cocaine-to-kill-over-1-4-million-americans-as-coast-guard-strikes-again\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T08:20:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T12:20:52","slug":"authorities-seize-enough-cocaine-to-kill-over-1-4-million-americans-as-coast-guard-strikes-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/authorities-seize-enough-cocaine-to-kill-over-1-4-million-americans-as-coast-guard-strikes-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Authorities Seize Enough Cocaine to Kill Over 1.4 Million Americans as Coast Guard Strikes Again"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fauthorities-seize-enough-cocaine-to-kill-over-1-4-million-americans-as-coast-guard-strikes-again%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2592237&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Two major cocaine seizures in the Eastern Pacific underscore the Coast Guard\u2019s ongoing push against drug trafficking as part of Operation Pacific Viper. The cutter Tampa offloaded 3,825 pounds of cocaine valued at about $28.7 million after two interdictions, while the cutter escanaba had previously seized 4,510 pounds worth roughly $33.9 million. Since the operation began in August, Pacific Viper has recovered more than 215,000 pounds of cocaine and detained about 160 suspected narco-traffickers, with around 80 percent of US-bound drug interdictions occurring at sea. The effort, a Coast Guard-U.S. Southern Command Joint Interagency Task Force South partnership, aims to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dhss-mayorkas-defends-disastrous-handling-of-southern-border\/\" title=\"DHS\u2019s Mayorkas Defends Disastrous Handling of Southern Border\">disrupt transnational criminal organizations<\/a> and narco-terrorist activity. Cmdr. Joshua DiPietro lauded the Tampa crew for their performance, noting the patrol\u2019s contributions to roughly $45 million in illicit narcotics seized over the period. The article also highlights the hazardous scale of the drug trade, including a reference to cocaine\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mexican-cartels-fentanyl-operations-benefit-from-migrant-border-crisis\/\" title=\"Mexican Cartels\u2019 Fentanyl ...s Benefit from Migrant Border Crisis\">potentially lethal dose<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Coast Guard is celebrating its second major victory this month in President Donald Trump&rsquo;s war against illegal drugs.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, the Coast Guard cutter Tampa offloaded about 3,825 pounds of cocaine after two seizures in the Eastern Pacific, according to a Coast Guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.uscg.mil\/Press-Releases\/Article\/4462528\/coast-guard-offloads-enough-cocaine-to-kill-more-than-14-million-americans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>That haul came on the heels of an Easter Sunday seizure of 4,510 pounds of cocaine, worth $33.9 million, by the Coast Guard cutter Escanaba, according to a Department of Homeland Security <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.gov\/news\/2026\/04\/09\/coast-guard-cutter-escanaba-seizes-more-33-million-worth-cocaine-single\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Coast Guard has estimated that 1.2 grams of cocaine is a potentially lethal dose.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Protecting our homeland through Operation Pacific Viper.<\/p>\n<p>Today in Miami, the crew of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USCG?\">@USCG<\/a> Cutter Tampa offloaded 3,825 lbs of cocaine worth an estimated $28.7M. The drugs offloaded today were seized in two interdictions in the Eastern Pacific Ocean through Operation Pacific&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gY1FFnoUsu\">pic.twitter.com\/gY1FFnoUsu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; U.S. Coast Guard (@USCG) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USCG\/status\/2044933291984163034?\">April 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>  That means the latest haul offloaded by the Tampa, which had a value of more than $28.7 million, was enough to kill 1.4 million Americans.<\/p>\n<p>The Coast Guard&rsquo;s aggressive tactics to stop drugs from flowing into the country is part of Operation Pacific Viper.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This crew&rsquo;s performance over the last 74 days has been nothing short of phenomenal,&rdquo; Cmdr. Joshua DiPietro, the commanding officer of the Tampa, said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;From qualifying several pilots, tie downs, landing safety officers, and helicopter control officers for aviation operations at the start of the patrol to seizing nearly $45 million in illicit narcotics, their teamwork during complex operations was truly impressive. They met every challenge head-on, working seamlessly with our partner agencies and international allies to disrupt transnational criminal organizations.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Operation Pacific Viper was one part of Trump&rsquo;s effort to fight back against drug cartels, along with efforts to sink drug running boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These efforts are a critical component of the broader U.S. strategy to combat narco-terrorism and dismantle transnational criminal organizations,&rdquo; the release said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Under the leadership of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the men and women of the Coast Guard will <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >continue deploying overwhelming force<\/a> against the cartels, cutting off the flow of drugs into the United States and put an end to the cartel&rsquo;s reign of terror,&rdquo; the release added.<\/p>\n<p>Operation Pacific Viper was launched in August and has seized more than 215,000 pounds of cocaine, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/coast-guard-scores-big-win-with-massive-33-million-cocaine-seizure\/\" title=\"Coast Guard Scores Big Win With Massive  Million ... Seizure\">detained 160 suspected narco-traffickers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The operation is a partnership that involves the Coast Guard and U.S. Southern Command&rsquo;s Joint Interagency Task Force South.<\/p>\n<p>The release noted that 80 percent of interdictions of drugs bound for America take place at sea.<\/p>\n<p>In one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/coast-guard-confiscates-33-million-cocaine-major-bust\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">November 2025<\/a> seizure, the Coast Guard cutter Stone offloaded more than 49,000 pounds of illicit drugs worth $362 million.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the article content:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The Coast Guard is reporting its second major win this month in President Trump\u2019s fight against illegal drugs. The cutter Tampa discharged about 3,825 pounds of cocaine after two seizures in the Eastern Pacific, per a Coast Guard press release. This followed Easter Sunday\u2019s seizure of 4,510 pounds by the cutter Escanaba, valued at roughly $33.9 million, according to a Homeland Security release.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The Coast Guard notes that a potentially lethal cocaine dose is around 1.2 grams.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; In Miami, the Tampa offloaded 3,825 pounds of cocaine estimated at $28.7 million. The drugs were seized in two interdictions in the Eastern Pacific as part of Operation Pacific Viper.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Cmdr. Joshua DiPietro praised the Tampa crew for their performance over the past 74 days, saying they qualified several pilots and safety officers, and, through teamwork with partner agencies and international allies, seized nearly $45 million in illicit narcotics during complex operations.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Operation Pacific Viper, launched last August, has since seized more than 215,000 pounds of cocaine and detained 160 suspected narco-traffickers. The operation is a partnership between the Coast Guard and U.S. Southern Command\u2019s Joint Interagency Task Force South.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The release notes that about 80% of drug interdictions bound for the United States occur at sea. In a November 2025 seizure, the Coast Guard cutter Stone offloaded more than 49,000 pounds of illicit drugs worth $362 million.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The operation is part of a broader U.S. strategy to combat narco-terrorism and dismantle transnational criminal organizations. Under Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Coast Guard personnel are expected to continue deploying substantial force to disrupt cartels and stop the flow of drugs into the country<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2592238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-04-17T173725.024.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[72904,11521,78021,70003],"class_list":["post-2592237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-coast-guard-2","tag-cocaine","tag-drug-seizure-2","tag-law-enforcement-3"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-04-17T173725.024.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2592237"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2592241,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592237\/revisions\/2592241"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2592238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2592237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2592237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2592237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}