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USCG Cutter Stone Sets New Record for Cocaine Busts in One Deployment

Stone
A captured smuggling boat burns after an interdiction. The suspected smugglers were removed before its destruction (Courtesy USCG)

Published Nov 19, 2025 6:55 PM by The Maritime Executive


The U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Stone has made Coast Guard history by catching 49,000 pounds of cocaine in a single deployment, more than any other cutter ever. 

The seized contraband came from 15 interdictions in the busy smuggling corridor of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The intercept count exceeds the number of military airstrikes on drug boats in the same region. That Stone busted so many cocaine boats suggests that cocaine trafficking continues at pace in the region, undeterred by the threat of a lethal response from U.S. forces. 

Stone offloaded her cargo of cocaine on a pier at Port Everglades on Wednesday. The total haul was work $362 million, according to the service. 

“I am extremely proud of the crew’s incredible performance during this deployment,” said Capt. Anne O’Connell, commanding officer, Coast Guard Cutter Stone. “This offload demonstrates our increased posture and continued success in the fight against narco-terrorism and transnational criminal organizations. The Coast Guard, in conjunction with our inter-agency and international partners, continues to patrol areas commonly associated with drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific, denying smugglers access to maritime routes by which they move illicit drugs to our U.S. land and sea borders.”