Archive image: MIAMI – A Coast Guard Station Miami Beach, Fla., 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew prepares to offload 886 pounds of cocaine transferred from the Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma at Base Miami Beach.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Sabrina Elgammal.
MIAMI – A USCG Station Miami Beach law enforcement boat crew along with CBP AMO and HSI seized approximately 1,7 tons (3,715 pounds) of cocaine, worth an estimated $28 million, from a suspected drug smuggling vessel 2 nautical miles east of Miami Beach. Tuesday. Tuesday, December 2, 2025.
CBP AMO law enforcement boat crews provided assistance with multiple marine units and specialized search tools upon initial interdiction by Coast Guard Station Miami Beach crew.
“This was the largest USCG Small boat station cocaine seizure since 1995,” said Lt. Matthew Ross, Coast Guard Station Miami Beach commanding officer. “Protecting our maritime borders from illicit drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations remains one of our highest priorities. The Coast Guard and our federal, state and local law enforcement partners remain vigilant in our shared efforts to keep our maritime borders safe by preventing illicit narcotics from reaching our communities.”
CBP’s Office of Field Operations (OFO) Miami Seaport also responded with a K9 team once the vessel was brought pierside. The OFO K9 alerted to multiple locations within the vessel. A physical search by AMO agents uncovered more than 1,000 concealed packages of cocaine, weighing over 3,700 lbs. Federal agents took custody of three subjects and transported them.
“Disrupting maritime narcotics smuggling like this demonstrates the power of teamwork in safeguarding our nation and holding criminals accountable,” said Executive Director Andy Blanco, CBP Air and Marine Operations Southeast Region. “Smugglers should be warned that our whole-of-government team is watching, and they will be caught.”
We are part of a whole-of-government approach to secure our borders by dismantling Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCO), including narco-trafficking and human smuggling operations.
–USCG–
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