A Florida-based multi-agency task force has seized one million pounds of cocaine during fiscal year 2025, the largest drug seizure in U.S. history. Officials said the haul represents 378 million lethal doses, enough to kill every American, and would have generated $11.34 billion for cartels and narco-terrorists. The amount of cocaine seized could fill 42 dump trucks or 16 shipping containers.
Who led the operation
The seizure was carried out by the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force South (JIATF-S), headquartered in Key West and led by U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). JIATF-S includes the U.S. Coast Guard and works with international partners to disrupt the flow of narcotics through the “transit zone,” a vast area stretching from South America through Central America and the Caribbean. The region is a key trafficking corridor for drugs, arms, and money.
“By disrupting the flow of these deadly drugs, JIATF-S is saving lives and protecting our homeland,” the agency said in a statement.
The cocaine originated in South America, where powerful cartels have long exploited the maritime routes into the Caribbean and Central America before attempting to funnel shipments into the United States. The seizures took place across international waters covering 42 million square miles, from the Eastern Pacific to the Western Atlantic. The intended destination was the U.S. market, where demand drives billions in cartel profits.
How the capture unfolded
Over the past year, Coast Guard cutters including the Vigilant, Diligence, and Hamilton conducted multiple interdictions of “go-fast” smuggling vessels. In one example, crews seized 61,740 pounds of cocaine and 14,400 pounds of marijuana near Miami in August. Coast Guard Commander Rear Adm. Adam Chamie described it as “a significant victory in the fight against transnational criminal organizations.”
Captain John B. McWhite of the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton said his crew and partners worked “incredibly hard the last several months to safeguard the American public from the dangers of illicit narcotics.”
Trump’s military strategy against cartels
The seizures come amid President Donald Trump’s expanded counter-narcotics strategy. In February, Trump designated groups such as Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel as foreign terrorist organizations. The Justice Department also placed a $50 million reward on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of directing drug shipments and supplying weapons through the Cartel of the Suns.
Trump ordered the deployment of U.S. Navy destroyers to the Caribbean to strengthen interdiction operations and has vowed to use “every element of American power” to keep drugs from reaching U.S. shores. “They killed 300,000 people in our country last year, we’re not gonna let it happen anymore,” Trump said. “All you have to do is look at the cargo, like it’s spattered all over the ocean. Big bags of cocaine and fentanyl all over the place.”
A historic success with global implications
Officials say the record-breaking seizure not only saved countless American lives but also dealt a massive financial blow to organized crime. Secretary of State Marco Rubio underscored the broader stakes, declaring, “We’re not going to have a cartel, operating or masquerading as a government, operating in our own hemisphere.”
The Trump administration has also discussed escalating its fight with options such as drone strikes against traffickers inside Venezuela. Analysts warn such actions could deepen tensions, but for now, the record haul stands as a milestone in America’s war on drugs.
