USCG Seizes $275 Million Worth of Cocaine in Massive Drug Bust

The US Coast Guard Cutter Waesche just returned to San Diego with a historic drug bust—37,256 pounds of cocaine seized in 11 high-risk missions.

The haul, worth $275 million, was confiscated from smuggling ships off the coasts of Mexico, Central, and South America.

These missions are dangerous. Just days before returning, a 23-year-old crew member, Bryan Lee, went missing at sea, prompting a massive search effort.

The crew intercepted six drug smuggling vessels in just six days, preventing 33 million hits of cocaine from hitting US streets.

This operation is part of an intensified crackdown on transnational drug cartels using the Pacific Ocean as a trafficking route.

Coast Guard teams board and seize vessels in extreme conditions, enforcing US laws under the Eleventh Coast Guard District.

The fight against drug trafficking is relentless. With high-risk operations and strategic partnerships, the Coast Guard remains America’s first line of defense.