About 10 kilos of cocaine and two vehicles were seized during a major drug trafficking investigation in Muskingum County. Img 2287
San Diego, California – In a massive blow to international drug trafficking operations, the U.S. Coast Guard offloaded nearly 19,000 pounds (8,500 kilograms) of cocaine worth over $214 million on Thursday, following a series of successful interdictions in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
The seized cocaine, recovered between February and April 2025, is the result of six coordinated drug-smuggling vessel interdictions conducted by the crews of the Coast Guard Cutter Kimball and Cutter Forward. The busts occurred in international waters off the coasts of Mexico, Central, and South America.
The announcement was made in San Diego with several high-profile federal and regional officials present, including Capt. Jason Hagan of Coast Guard District 11, and representatives from the DEA, Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, and the San Diego Air and Marine Branch.
“This offload is just one piece of a large and enduring multinational and multi-agency effort to combat international drug cartels,” said Rear Admiral Joanna Hiigl, acting deputy commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area. “Already in fiscal year 2025, we’ve removed over $1 billion in cocaine from the Eastern Pacific, and we’re not done.”
Hiigl emphasized the broader impact of these drug routes, noting that cocaine and fentanyl trafficking contributes to a cycle of violence, corruption, and instability stretching from South America to U.S. communities. “To defeat a network, it takes a network,” she said, underlining the global cooperation behind the mission.
Commanding Officer Capt. Robert Kinsey of the Cutter Kimball said the offload represents more than a significant drug seizure. “It underscores our tireless efforts to safeguard our nation’s maritime borders and disrupt the flow of dangerous drugs that fuel violence and despair.”
He added that the operation included support from the Mexican Navy and U.S. Department of Defense personnel. The Kimball also facilitated exchanges with Panama’s counter-drug enforcement teams, strengthening international ties.
The U.S. Coast Guard operates under the Eleventh District for Eastern Pacific law enforcement operations and partners with multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security. These operations aim to detect, interdict, and prosecute transnational criminal organizations engaged in smuggling narcotics by sea.
Homeported in Honolulu, the Cutter Kimball is one of two legend-class national security cutters equipped to patrol the vast and often volatile Southern Pacific, where much of the world’s maritime drug trafficking takes place.
