The U.S. Coast Guard says it seized over $220 million worth of cocaine in multiple recent interceptions of alleged drug boats. At least one operation apparently left a small vessel burning.
The crew of the USCG Cutter Midgett intercepted four different alleged drug-smuggling vessels off the coasts of Mexico, Central America and South America during August and September, the agency said in a news release Thursday. Coast Guard members seized about 21,126 pounds of cocaine worth approximately $156.4 million in total.
The drugs were offloaded from the cutter in San Diego on Thursday. The Coast Guard shared a photo it said shows crewmembers offloading bales of narcotics.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Richard B. Uranga
The seizures were part of Operation Pacific Viper, a Coast Guard effort to seize drugs that travel through the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Meanwhile, the crew of the USCG Cutter Diligence seized 8,700 pounds of cocaine from a boat traveling about 240 miles north of Panama in early September, according to a Wednesday news release. The drugs were worth about $64.5 million, the Coast Guard said. They were offloaded in Florida on Monday.
The Coast Guard shared a photo that it said shows the alleged drug boat on fire a day after the seizure, with a thick cloud of smoke coming from the vessel. A spokesperson said when the Coast Guard “encounters a smuggling vessel at sea,” the agency “detains the suspected drug smugglers and removes narcotics from the vessel before sinking” it.
The vessels are sunk when safe to do so “to avoid collisions at sea and prevent maritime accidents,” the spokesperson said.
U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area 
Another alleged drug boat was left burning in the eastern Pacific Ocean in August, amid other Coast Guard operations.
About 80% of narcotics seized while being transported to the United States are found at sea, the Coast Guard said. The agency said “much of the world’s illicit narcotics trafficking” occurs in the Pacific Ocean.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has conducted multiple deadly strikes on alleged drug vessels amid its promises to crack down on drug trafficking in Central and South America. Multiple drug cartels and transnational gangs have been designated as terrorist organizations, and President Trump directed the military to target cartels in August.