Coast Guard seizes 6,000 pounds of cocaine worth $45.8M off Colombia

MIAMI, Fla. (WINK)— A Coast Guard crew stopped three suspected smuggling boats at once and seized more than 6,000 pounds of cocaine worth nearly $45.8 million.

The Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma's crew interdicted the vessels about 90 miles off Cartagena, Colombia, according to a press release. The seizure represents 2.3 million potentially lethal doses of cocaine.

Tahoma's crew launched two small boats and a Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron aircrew to stop all three vessels.

One vessel refused to stop and required aerial use of force tactics, including precision sniper fire directed at the engines. The suspected smugglers jumped overboard after the shots were fired.

The aircrew released multiple personal flotation devices and rescued the people with no reported injuries. The other two vessels stopped when directed by Coast Guard crews.

Tahoma's crew will offload about 8,185 pounds of narcotics worth nearly $61.6 million Thursday at Port Everglades.

The Coast Guard seized more than 511,000 pounds of cocaine in 2025, more than three times the service's annual average.

Eighty percent of interdictions of U.S.-bound drugs occur at sea. Joint Interagency Task Force South in Key West conducts the detection and monitoring of aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs.

Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma is a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island.