SOUTHCOM-Led Task Force Seizes 1M Pounds Cocaine

The Joint Inter-Agency Task Force–South, led by U.S. SOUTHCOM and including the Coast Guard, reported seizing a record one million pounds of cocaine during fiscal year 2025 — about 378 million lethal doses — denying cartels roughly $11.34 billion in revenue. Officials credited multi-agency, multinational operations across the Eastern Pacific and Western Atlantic transit zone for disrupting flows from South and Central America. Separately, the U.S. Coast Guard offloaded about 12,750 pounds of cocaine and marijuana — roughly $94.5 million in street value — at Port Everglades after the Cutter Seneca interdicted the shipment, and 29 suspected smugglers were transferred to federal custody. Operation Pacific Viper, launched in August, has interdicted more than 80,000 pounds to date, and recent large offloads — including a 61,740-pound seizure in late August — were cited as evidence of sustained pressure on transnational criminal organizations.