USCG Cutter Stops Two Drug Boats Off Colombia
A U.S. Coast Guard cutter to stop two suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean last month, seizing about 10,900 pounds of cocaine with an estimated value of $89 million, the service said Friday.
The cutter USCGC Charles Sexton, a 154-foot fast response cutter, made both interdictions on October 28 about 175 miles off Cartagena, Colombia. Its crew shot out the vessels' engines, then detained the 10 people aboard. The Coast Guard described them as "suspected narco-terrorists" and said that it has repatriated them to Colombia for prosecution.
Aerial footage released by the Coast Guard shows one of the vessels sitting dead in the water - a long, open-hulled boat with four outboard engines and bales of cargo stacked forward, consistent with the general appearance of a smuggler's go-fast boat. Photos show Charles Sexton crewmembers pulling bales of suspected narcotics out of the sea.
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"I am incredibly proud of this crew's professionalism and resilience, [which] allows us to complete these dynamic and dangerous missions at sea," said Lt. Peter Fager, the cutter's commanding officer.
The seizure adds to a busy year for Coast Guard counternarcotics patrols. The service says it captured nearly 198,000 pounds of cocaine in FY2026, above its annual average, and more than 262,000 pounds since August 2025 - the start date for "Operation Pacific Viper," its rebranded and enhanced anti-smuggling campaign in the Eastern Pacific.
