US Coast Guard Interdicts Nearly $45.8 Million Worth of Illicit Cocaine off Colombia

The Coast Guard seized more than 511,000 pounds of cocaine last year, more than three times their annual average.

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma conducts interdiction operations in the Gulf of America on May 8, 2026. Courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) successfully interdicted three suspected drug smuggling vessels simultaneously on May 8 that combined carried roughly 6,085 pounds of cocaine valued at almost $45.8 million, the agency said in a May 14 statement.

The interdiction was carried out approximately 90 miles off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia.