Coast Guard Offloads $19.3m of Illicit Drugs Seized in the Caribbean Sea Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. April 24, 2026 © U.S. Coast Guard U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Resolute’s crew offloaded approximately 2,570 pounds of cocaine worth more than $19.3 million and transferred six suspected drug smugglers to federal authorities, Thursday, at Base Miami Beach. The seized contraband was the result of three interdictions in the Caribbean Sea by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma and the crew of the USS Billings with an embarked Coast Guard law enforcement detachment. The following assets and crews were involved in the interdiction operations: USCGC Tahoma USS Billings Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team South, LEDET 405 Joint Interagency Task Force   South Coast Guard Southeast District watchstanders Coast Guard Cutter Resolute’s offload continues record-setting Coast Guard operations to interdict, seize, and disrupt transshipment of cocaine and other bulk illicit drugs by sea. These drugs fuel and enable cartels and transnational criminal organizations to produce and traffic illegal fentanyl threatening the U.S. This includes the Coast Guard’s seizure of over 511,000 pounds of cocaine in 2025, over three times the Service’s annual average, as well as accelerated counter-narcotics operations in the Eastern Pacific through Operation Pacific Viper.  Since launching this operation in early August, the Coast Guard has seized over 215,000 pounds of cocaine and apprehended 160 suspected narco-traffickers. The Coast Guard’s persistent operations and rapid response have denied criminal organizations billions in illicit revenue and prevented the flow of dangerous drugs into American communities. Eighty percent of interdictions of U.S.-bound drugs occur at sea. This underscores the importance of maritime interdiction in combatting the flow of illegal narcotics and protecting American communities fr