The Coast Guard has seized some $2.8 million worth of marijuana in an operation near the Bahamas.
A crew aboard the Coast Guard’s Charles Sexton cutter interdicted a suspected drug-smuggling vessel 80 miles Southwest of Great Inagua, Bahamas, and confiscated some 2,380 pounds of the presumed drug, which was found in 97 bales on Monday.
Some 80% of drug interdictions occur at sea, and President Donald Trump has made combating the importation of illegal drugs a major priority under his administration.
To this end, USCGC forces have carried out various operations to disrupt and dismantle foreign drug trafficking across international waters.
‘Combating Transnational Organized Crime’
“This interdiction highlights the strength of our partnership and our shared commitment to combating transnational organized crime in the region,” said Lt. Peter Fager, commanding officer, USCGC Charles Sexton.
Working together, we continue to disrupt illicit trafficking and protect the security and stability of our maritime borders.
Record-Breaking Drug Seizures
It follows the USCG achieving the largest annual maritime drug interdiction results in service history in 2025, seizing more than 511,000 pounds of narcotics valued at more than $3.8 billion.
Officials said the seizures prevented more than 193 million potentially lethal doses from reaching the U.S., adding that counter-drug and law enforcement operations saved American taxpayers over $10 billion in avoided costs, including over $2.3 billion in health care costs just from cocaine interdictions.
“The men and women of the Coast Guard delivered extraordinary results for our Nation in 2025,” said Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, acting Commandant, in a statement at the time. “From securing the border and interdicting illegal drugs to facilitating maritime commerce and responding rapidly to crises, their success is driving the momentum we carry into 2026.”
Meanwhile, last month, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter offloaded approximately 7,720 pounds of cocaine and 4,000 pounds of marijuana at Port Everglades in Florida, amounting to more than $63 million in allegedly smuggled drugs.
The service said that this seized contraband resulted from three interdictions in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean made by Coast Guard Cutter Bear, home-ported in Portsmouth, Va.
They reflect a continuation of the service’s efforts to counter drug operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, as part of Operation Pacific Viper, which concerns the seizure of illicit drugs.
The Bahamian government and the Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) supported the operation. Three people and the narcotics were transferred to the RBDF.
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