Recently, the US Coast Guard cutter USCGC Kimball offloaded more than $200 million worth of South American cocaine at a pier in San Diego.

The shipment weighed nearly 19,000 pounds (8.5 metric tons) in total. According to the USCG, the offload resulted from the interception of six suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the waters off Mexico, Central America, and South America. These interdictions were carried out by the cutters Kimball and Forward between February and April.

Earlier this month, USCGC James offloaded 20 tons of narcotics at Port Everglades. Assisted by embarked HITRON helicopter crews and interagency partners, the crew conducted nine drug interdictions in January and February.

Last month, USCGC Stone delivered another 20 tons to Port Everglades, and USCGC Valiant offloaded an additional 6 tons in Miami.

All of these large-scale drug seizures occurred along busy smuggling routes between South America, Central America, and the Caribbean islands. The trafficked goods often land in transit countries such as Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, or southern Mexico. A significant portion of the seized drugs is smuggled into Europe through infiltration of local container terminals, while the remainder travels north by land routes to the North American market via the U.S. southern border.