Watch: US Coast Guard intercepts smugglers in eastern Pacific ocean, drugs worth millions seizedA viral video released by the US Coast Guard shows a gripping drug interdiction operation in the eastern Pacific Ocean, where service members aboard the USCGC Kimball executed a swift takedown of suspected drug smugglers on April 17, reported Fox News.The dramatic footage, filmed by Petty Officer 3rd Class Austin Wiley, captures Coast Guard personnel aboard a small vessel approaching the suspect boat, shouting commands in Spanish. “¡Manos arriba!” (“Hands up!”) the crew shouted, prompting the suspects to immediately surrender by lying flat on the deck with their hands spread.“The fifth interdiction during Kimball’s patrol is a great example of how complex it is to stop illegal activities on the open ocean,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. Officials noted that the mission involved aerial surveillance, tactical law enforcement action and the eventual sinking of the smuggling boat to prevent it from becoming a navigational hazard.According to the Coast Guard, the USCGC Kimball intercepted and recovered narcotics worth an estimated $214 million across five operations, all of which were later offloaded in San Diego. “Illegal drugs pose a dangerous threat to the American people, and the men and women of the Coast Guard do everything in their power to interdict drugs before they reach our shores,” the agency added.The video, which has quickly gained attention online, highlights the Coast Guard’s frontline role in battling transnational drug trafficking at sea. Few days back, a massive federal investigation across five US states led to the arrest of 16 people and the seizure of over three million fentanyl-laced pills, part of a trafficking network tied to Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa cartel. The DEA also recovered methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, $5 million in cash, and 49 firearms. One of the main suspects, 36-year-old Heriberto Salazar-Amaya, was captured in Oregon and now faces multiple federal charges.“This historic drug seizure… removes poison from our streets and protects American citizens from the scourge of fentanyl,” said US attorney general Pam Bondi, who also described fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction.”The recent busts on land and sea reflects the scale of America’s ongoing drug crisis. With fentanyl overdoses now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 34, both the Coast Guard and the DEA are intensifying efforts to block the flood of deadly narcotics into the country.
