US Coast Guard Cutter Seizes Cocaine Worth $74M During Atlantic Operation

The US Coast Guard Cutter Calhoun intercepted a fishing vessel in the Atlantic Ocean and seized around 10,000 pounds of cocaine valued at approximately $74 million during an operation carried out between April 12 and 13, 2025.

The interdiction happened in international waters, about 1,265 miles west of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. The suspected smuggling vessel was detected during a patrol under the tactical control of Coast Guard Atlantic Area.

Calhoun’s crew launched a cutter small boat to approach the vessel, which was showing behaviour believed to be consistent with narcotics trafficking.

The Coast Guard arrested five individuals from the suspicious vessel and recovered the large quantity of cocaine. These five suspected smugglers are currently in US custody as they await legal proceedings.

According to Coast Guard officials, this operation shows the Coast Guard’s strong focus on stopping transnational criminal organisations that use maritime routes to move illegal drugs.

A senior Coast Guard commander stated that actions like this one help cut off the financial lifelines of these criminal networks and weaken their ability to carry out illegal activities that endanger communities.

The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency in enforcing maritime law both within US waters and internationally.

The agency has increased its efforts to find and stop large shipments of drugs like cocaine and other illegal substances being moved by sea.

These drug operations are often linked to violent cartels and support the spread of dangerous substances like fentanyl.

Cutter Calhoun is the newest of the Legend-class national security cutters. It is 418 feet long and was commissioned in 2014.

The ship is based in North Charleston, South Carolina, and mainly focuses on drug interdiction and national defense readiness.

Calhoun operates under the US Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command, located in Portsmouth, Virginia. This command is responsible for all Coast Guard missions east of the Rocky Mountains and stretching to the Arabian Gulf.

It also directs ships to the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific to support operations against organised crime and maritime trafficking.

Reference: USCG

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