On April 10, 2025, the U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the U.S. had recently seized illegal drugs worth approximately $510 million, demonstrating the firm resolve and execution power of the U.S. government in combating transnational drug networks.
Bondi personally went to Port Everglades in South Florida on Wednesday, April 9, where the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter “James” held a press conference with a batch of confiscated drugs, emphasizing this as a significant achievement of the Trump administration in combating drug crimes and curbing the national drug abuse crisis.
During the operation, the U.S. utilized ships, airplanes, and drones to intercept 11 vessels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean near Peru, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands, successfully disrupting drug smuggling activities, arresting 34 suspects, and bringing them ashore for federal prosecution.
“This drug seizure and the arrests of suspected drug traffickers represent a major blow to the financial operations of drug organizations and their distribution of drugs throughout the United States,” Bondi said.
According to a press release from the U.S. Coast Guard, these drug interdictions were related to several federal criminal investigations, involving Colombian drug trafficking group “Clan del Golfo,” and Mexico’s two major drug cartels, “Jalisco New Generation Cartel” and “Sinaloa Cartel.”
In February of this year, the Trump administration designated eight Latin American criminal organizations, including the aforementioned drug trafficking groups, as “foreign terrorist organizations,” further strengthening efforts to combat their activities and support networks within the United States.
At Port Everglades, the USCGC James Cutter offloaded over 44,550 pounds (approximately 20,216 kilograms) of cocaine and 3,880 pounds (approximately 1,760 kilograms) of marijuana seized in the international waters of the Eastern Pacific during this operation.
During the press conference, Coast Guard Vice Admiral Nathan Moore stated that this interdiction had a direct impact on the drug traffickers’ financial resources, marking an important step in safeguarding the safety of American communities.
FBI Director Kash Patel also attended the event and stated that this operation sent a clear message to the drug cartels that “they will no longer be able to act recklessly and with impunity.”
(Reference to reports from The Associated Press and The Washington Post.)
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