CARIBBEAN SEA — The crew of the Coast Guard cutter Tahoma intercepted three boats carrying illicit drugs about 90 miles off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia, in the Caribbean Sea, seizing 6,085 pounds of cocaine worth nearly $45.8 million. The 270-foot cutter's crew launched two small boats and deployed a helicopter to catch all three alleged drug boats at once.

The alleged smugglers aboard the boat pursued by the helicopter were non-compliant, and the Coast Guard aircrew used aerial use of force tactics, including precision sniper fire directed at the engines, to stop the vessel. The alleged smugglers jumped overboard and were rescued by the Coast Guard with no reported injuries.

Photos shared by the Coast Guard showed the three alleged drug boats set ablaze. When agency crews encounter a suspected smuggling vessel, they detain the alleged smugglers, remove any drugs, and then sink the boat to prevent it from posing a threat to other marine traffic, a spokesperson said. The seized drugs will be offloaded by the ship's crew at Port Everglades in Florida.

About 80% of narcotics seized while being transported to the United States are found at sea. The Coast Guard seized over 511,000 pounds of cocaine in 2025.

The Trump administration has called stopping the flow of drugs into the U.S. one of its top priorities and has designated drug cartels and transnational gangs as terrorist organizations. Deadly strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean have killed nearly 200 people since they began last September.