Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem looks out during an aerial tour on a HC-130J aircraft from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak on March 17, 2025, in Kodiak Station, Alaska. (Alex Brandon/AFP via Getty Images)
"The Coast Guard’s top priority is to achieve complete operational control of the U.S. border and maritime approaches," Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "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."
WATCH: COAST GUARD SEIZES COCAINE, SUSPECTED NARCO-TERRORISTS IN PACIFIC VIPER RAID
The Coast Guard has launched multiple high-profile operations to advance Trump’s crusade against drugs. In August, the Coast Guard launched Operation Pacific Viper, a joint effort between the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy aimed at countering the influx of illegal drugs to the U.S.
As of October, the Coast Guard reported it had confiscated 100,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean since August under Operation Pacific Viper, averaging 1,600 pounds of cocaine daily, according to the service.
The U.S. killed six alleged drug traffickers on a boat in international waters near Venezuela, President Donald Trump announced Oct. 14, 2025. (realDonaldTrump/Truth Social)
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Likewise, the White House issued lawmakers a memo Sept. 30 notifying them that the U.S. is participating in a "non-international armed conflict" with drug smugglers, and has conducted more than 15 strikes against vessels off the coast of Venezuela and in the Eastern Pacific.
However, lawmakers have questioned the legality of these strikes, and Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced a war powers resolution prohibiting U.S. armed forces from engaging in "hostilities" against Venezuela.
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/coast-guards-record-breaking-cocaine-haul-2025-could-have-poisoned-half-us