The U.S. Coast Guard says it has seized over 40,000 kilos of cocaine within the Jap Pacific Ocean over the past month as a part of boosted counter-drug operations.
Greater than a dozen interceptions since Aug. 8 led to the drug seizures in addition to the apprehension of 36 suspected drug smugglers, the Coast Guard mentioned in a information launch Thursday.
The actions occurred by means of Operation Pacific Viper, which the Coast Guard has described as “a surge in forces to the Jap Pacific to cease the cartels and felony organizations – slicing off medicine and human smuggling earlier than it reaches American shores.” The Jap Pacific sees “important transport” of illicit narcotics from South America, the Coast Guard says.
The federal company, which is a part of the Division of Homeland Safety, launched a number of photos of current operations. One image exhibits crew members maintaining watch over a burning vessel that was intercepted within the Jap Pacific Ocean in mid-August, the Coast Guard says. Officers didn’t point out why the boat was on fireplace.
U.S. Coast Guard 
Counter-drug operations have additionally been heightened within the Caribbean Sea, the place the U.S. navy just lately carried out a “deadly strike” on a drug-carrying boat hailing from Venezuela, Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned.
Coast Guard interceptions within the Jap Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea just lately resulted in a report cocaine haul that had “sufficient to fatally overdose the complete inhabitants of Florida,” the Coast Guard mentioned. In that haul, the Coast Guard final week offloaded over 38 tons of cocaine and marijuana in Fort Lauderdale — the biggest cocaine offload in Coast Guard historical past, officers mentioned.
The Coast Guard says that with Operation Pacific Viper, it’s coordinating with worldwide and interagency companions to have property like cutters, plane and tactical groups disrupt illicit drug shipments.
U.S. Coast Guard photograph 
John MacLauchlan
contributed to this report.
[/gpt3]
