By BC Cook
For Variety
WHILE the American government has been shut down and we hold our breath to see if the cease-fire holds in the Middle East, the Coast Guard has been quietly going about its business of destroying the international drug trade.
Over the last two months, the Coast Guard has concentrated its forces in the eastern Pacific region in an all-out war against the fleet of boats carrying drugs from South America to the United States, and the results have been dramatic.
According to the website of the Department of Homeland Security, Operation Pacific Viper has reached a new milestone of 100,000 pounds of drugs seized, mostly cocaine, in 34 interdictions since August, an average of 1,600 pounds per day.
Rear Admiral Jeffrey Novak, deputy commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area, noted that: “When we say the Coast Guard is accelerating counter-narcotics operations, we mean it. Alongside our partners and allies, our maritime fighting force is scouring drug smuggling routes in the Eastern Pacific and dismantling narco-terrorist networks.” Similar efforts are underway in the Caribbean as well. Last week, the United States sent an aircraft carrier to the region.
Novak continues, “We are complementing the Coast Guard’s unique law enforcement authorities with cutting-edge capabilities to stop the flow of deadly drugs that threaten U.S. communities. As we mark our interdiction of 100,000 pounds, we are already working towards the next milestone.”
No one can accuse the Coast Guard of sleeping through the government shutdown. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem added, “Operation Pacific Viper has proven to be a crucial weapon in the fight against foreign drug traffickers and cartels in Latin America and has sent a clear message that we will disrupt, dismantle, and destroy their deadly business exploits wherever we find it.”
In August, the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton brought home almost a half billion dollars’ worth of captured drugs, the largest single offload in their history. I have a feeling it will not stay the largest for long.
Along with the staggering amount of drugs seized, the Coast Guard is destroying bundles of drugs, sinking vessels and rounding up cartel members, so even if the drug lords have more product, they are finding it increasingly difficult to transport. The entire network remains danger of collapse. The war on drugs has been going on in various forms for decades, but this is the largest, most intense operation I can remember. Check YouTube for dramatic footage of captures and sinkings.