The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Valiant partcipated in one of six interdictions in the Caribbean Sea that netted more than $141 million of cocaine in February 2025. U.S. COAST GUARD
THE WATCH STAFF
The United States Coast Guard collaborated with two allies in February and March 2025 to seize more than $141 million in illicit drugs in the Caribbean Sea. Six interdictions of drug smuggling operations involving U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement teams on Netherlands Forces in the Caribbean and Canadian Royal Navy ships, as well as Coast Guard cutters operating alone, resulted in 17 arrests. The alleged drug smugglers now face criminal charges in U.S. federal courts.
“These seizures are a testament to the Coast Guard’s continued dedication to safeguard America by securing our maritime borders,” said Lt j.g. Jesus Martinez Borges, according to a Coast Guard news release. “The Coast Guard and our partners work tirelessly to deny drug trafficking organizations access to smuggling routes bound for the United States. Our efforts contribute to federal investigations and prosecutions that further seek to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal activity abroad, which threaten Americans here at home.”
A Dutch warship responded to a Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard aircrew’s report of a suspicious vessel about 48 kilometers north of Venezuela on February 2. The Netherlands Royal Navy ship HNLMS Groningen, with a law enforcement detachment (LEDET) of U.S. Coast Guardsmen, stopped a “go-fast” vessel, seizing 2,821 kilograms of cocaine. The Coast Guard law enforcement team also arrested five alleged smugglers, according to the release.
On the same day, a Coast Guard HC-144 maritime patrol plane operating out of Coast Guard Air Station Miami spotted a suspicious go-fast vessel about 56 kilometers southwest of the U.S. Virgin Islands. USCG cutter Joseph Doyle intercepted the vessel, arresting three suspected smugglers and confiscating 997 kilograms of cocaine. “I am proud of the dedication and professionalism demonstrated by the crew of Coast Guard cutter Joseph Doyle in securing our maritime border,” said Lt. Cmdr. David Radin, the ship’s commanding officer. “It was a smooth operation working with Air Station Miami’s forward-deployed aircraft to detect these traffickers, which enabled our crew to interdict and prevent these deadly narcotics from reaching our nation’s borders.”
The Groningen responded to another report of a suspicious vessel about 29 kilometers north of Venezuela on February 14. The Coast Guard LEDET embedded on the ship was deployed in two small boats to stop the vessel, which jettisoned bales containing 259 kilograms of cocaine into the sea as it fled back into Venezuelan waters. The Groningen’s crew recovered the drugs, according to the release.
Three days later, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) Air and Marine Operations aircrew detected a suspicious vessel in international waters about 80 kilometers northeast of the Dominican Republic. The aircrew notified the USCG cutter Valiant, which apprehended five suspected smugglers and seized 581 kilograms of cocaine. “The Valiant crew’s interdiction is one of many law enforcement actions highlighting the time-tested partnership and outstanding coordination of the Seventh Coast Guard District, Coast Guard Sector San Juan, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine Branch,” said Cmdr. Matthew Press, the Valiant’s commanding officer. The seizure was an example of U.S. interagency cooperation, said Christopher Hunter, director of the USCBP Air and Marine Operations in the Caribbean.
Dutch and Canadian naval vessels also stopped two more smuggling operations. The Groningen launched a helicopter that fired warning shots at a smuggling vessel, prompting it to stop. Dutch Sailors then arrested two smugglers and seized 247 kilograms of cocaine in late February 2025. On March 1, a Caribbean maritime patrol aircrew notified the Royal Canadian Navy ship HMCS Harry DeWolf’s crew of a suspicious vessel in international waters about 280 kilometers north of Cabo De La Vela, Colombia, according to the Coast Guard release. The Harry DeWolf crew, along with embedded Coast Guard law enforcement personnel, intercepted the go-fast vessel, apprehending three suspected smugglers and seizing 748 kilograms of cocaine.
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