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The unit of a U.S. Coast Guard vessel simultaneously intercepted 3 boats carrying illicit drugs successful the Caribbean Sea, seizing implicit 3 tons of cocaine and stopping what the bureau called a "triple threat," officials said Thursday.
The unit of the Tahoma, a 270-foot cutter, made the interdictions astir 90 miles disconnected the seashore of Cartagena, Colombia, the Coast Guard said successful a quality release. To drawback each 3 alleged cause boats astatine once, the unit of the Tahoma launched 2 tiny boats and deployed a helicopter.
The alleged smugglers aboard the vessel pursued by the chopper were "non-compliant," the Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard aircrew utilized "aerial usage of unit tactics, including precision sniper occurrence directed astatine the engines" to halt the boat. The alleged smugglers jumped overboard and were rescued by the Coast Guard with nary reported injuries.
Video shared by the Coast Guard showed a subordinate of the aircrew strafing the country successful beforehand of the vas with gunfire, past throwing rescue floats to the alleged smugglers aft they jumped overboard.
Relentless operations to halt narco-terrorism.@USCGSoutheast crews aboard CGC Tahoma and an embarked chopper seized astir 6,085 pounds of cocaine worthy astir $45.8 cardinal Saturday aft stopping 3 vessels disconnected the seashore of Colombia. The interdiction required… pic.twitter.com/5unto8ycBr
— U.S. Coast Guard (@USCG) May 14, 2026The alleged smugglers successful the different 2 boats stopped erstwhile ordered to bash truthful by the Coast Guard unit members successful tiny boats.
The Coast Guard did not accidental however galore radical were taken into custody during the cognition oregon if the alleged smugglers aboard the 3 boats were moving together.
The Tahoma's unit seized 6,085 pounds of cocaine from the 3 vessels, officials said. The drugs are worthy astir $45 million, the bureau said, and volition beryllium offloaded by the ship's unit astatine Port Everglades successful Florida.
Photos shared by the Coast Guard showed the 3 alleged cause boats acceptable ablaze. A spokesperson for the Coast Guard previously told CBS News that erstwhile bureau crews brushwood a suspected smuggling vessel, they detain the alleged smugglers, region immoderate drugs and past descend the vessel truthful they bash not airs a menace to different marine traffic.
Three suspected cause smuggling boats are acceptable ablaze, with the Coast Guard cutter Tahoma successful the background.
U.S. Coast Guard
About 80% of narcotics seized portion being transported to the United States are recovered astatine sea, the Coast Guard said. The bureau seized implicit 511,000 pounds of cocaine successful 2025.
The Trump medication has called stopping the travel of drugs into the United States 1 of its apical priorities. Deadly strikes connected alleged cause vessels successful the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean person killed astir 200 radical since they began past September. The medication has besides designated cause cartels and transnational gangs arsenic terrorist organizations.
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Coast Guard announces grounds cocaine seizure
Coast Guard announces largest cocaine seizure successful bureau history
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