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The United States Coast Guard has completed a record-breaking offload of illicit drugs valued at more than $362 million after the crew of USCGC Stone delivered approximately 49,010 pounds of narcotics to Port Everglades on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The service confirmed that this is the largest amount of cocaine seized by a single cutter during one patrol in Coast Guard history. According to officials, the drugs were seized during 15 interdictions carried out in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n
Capt. Anne O\u2019Connell, commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Stone, said that she was extremely proud of her crew\u2019s performance during the deployment.<\/p>\n
She added that Coast Guard crews, working with inter-agency and international partners, continue to patrol areas known for drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific, preventing smugglers from using maritime routes to move narcotics towards US borders.<\/p>\n The Coast Guard stated that several assets and crews took part in the interdictions, including:<\/p>\n Officials highlighted that 80% of interdictions involving drugs bound for the United States take place at sea, emphasising the importance of maritime operations in reducing the flow of illegal narcotics and protecting communities.<\/p>\n U.S. Southern Command\u2019s Joint Interagency Task Force\u2013South, based in Key West, is responsible for detecting and monitoring aerial and maritime drug movements.<\/p>\n Once an interdiction becomes imminent, the Coast Guard assumes control for the law-enforcement phase, which includes interdiction and apprehension.<\/p>\n Operations in the Eastern Pacific are conducted under the authority of the Coast Guard\u2019s Southwest District, headquartered in Alameda, California.<\/p>\n The Coast Guard stated that it is increasing counter-drug activity in the Eastern Pacific as part of Operation Pacific Viper to prevent the movement of illicit narcotics from South America to the United States.<\/p>\n The service added that bulk drug shipments at sea fuel cartels and transnational criminal networks, enabling the production and trafficking of illegal fentanyl.<\/p>\n The interdictions are expected to deny criminal organisations more than half a billion dollars in illegal revenue. The operations also generate testimonial evidence, drug samples, and intelligence that support investigative efforts.<\/p>\n According to officials, the cases are connected to Panama Express (PANEX), an initiative of HSTF Tampa conducted under Operation Take Back America, which aims to identify and dismantle high-level criminal organisations through a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven approach.<\/p>\n USCGC Stone is one of four 418-foot Legend-class national security cutters homeported in Charleston, South Carolina, operating under the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command.<\/p>\n![\"Seizure\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Seizure.jpg?resize=1200%2C628\")
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