In a major win for maritime counter-drug trafficking operations, the U.S. Coast Guard Southeast has announced the successful offloading of approximately 2,570 pounds of seized cocaine worth an estimated $19.3 million, recovered during three separate interdiction missions in the Caribbean Sea. Alongside the massive drug seizure, six individuals suspected of involvement in illicit smuggling activities were transferred into the custody of federal law enforcement authorities on Thursday at the U.S. Coast Guard Base located in Miami Beach. The intercepted narcotics were seized during coordinated operations that brought together multiple military and law enforcement assets, including the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma and the USS Billings, which had a dedicated embarked Coast Guard law enforcement detachment on board to support the mission. The final offloading process at the Miami Beach base was completed by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute. This latest seizure is part of a broader, ongoing nationwide and international effort by the U.S. Coast Guard to disrupt the transnational movement of cocaine and other banned controlled substances across maritime borders. So far in 2025, the service has achieved a historic milestone, seizing more than 511,000 pounds of cocaine total — a volume that exceeds three times the service’s average annual seizure volume over previous years. Since the launch of Operation Pacific Viper, a major targeted counter-narcotics initiative that launched in early August, the Coast Guard has already seized over 215,000 pounds of cocaine and taken 160 suspected drug traffickers into custody across its operating areas. In addition to the surface vessels that carried out the interdictions, the multi-agency operation drew on support from a wide range of specialized units, including the Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron, Tactical Law Enforcement Team South LEDET 405, Joint Interagency Task Force South, and watchstanding personnel from the Coast Guard Southeast District, all of whom coordinated closely to disrupt the smuggling networks.