A U.S. Coast Guard cutter and its crew returned to their home in California following a 119-day mission in which they seized more than 22,000 pounds of cocaine, the largest maritime drug seizure in 18 years, in the Atlantic in support of the Trump administration's effort to target drug traffickers.
The cutter Munro left its port in Alameda on Nov. 3, 2025 for training and participation in Resolute Hunter exercise offshore of San Diego, before sailing into the Pacific Ocean to conduct counternarcotics patrols in support of the U.S. Coast Guard's Operation Pacific Viper.
However, the ship was diverted to the Atlantic Ocean in support of Operation Southern Spear, a Trump administration effort to target and disrupt transnational criminal networks, the War Department said Monday.
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"The service, our nation and our families can be extremely proud of Munro," said Capt. Jim O'Mara, Munro's commanding officer. "This crew rose to every new challenge thrown at them with professionalism and persistence, and they achieved historic results. This was a one-of-a-kind deployment for us, but it is also just one part of a much broader campaign and U.S. national strategy."
After transiting the Panama Canal, the Munro patrolled the Carribean Sea, where it followed the U.S.-sanctioned Motor Tanker Bella 1, across the Atlantic Ocean for 18 days and 4,900 miles.
The vessel was determined to be without nationality and subject to U.S. jurisdiction. The crew of the Munro boarded the Bella to seize control of the 333-meter crude oil carrier.
In the Pacific, the Munro detected a vessel transiting along a known smuggling route.
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With the help of its two cutter pursuit boats and other assets, the Munro tracked and interdicted the vessel using warning shots and disabling fire from a helicopter.
Six suspected drug smugglers were detained and 22,052 pounds of cocaine were seized, a milestone not seen in nearly two decades.
"We could not have done this without support from partners, allies, and our families," said O'Mara. "Our families had to adapt to each new twist, just like all military families do across the Armed Forces. It is tough on them. But when they hold strong at home that keeps us motivated and focused on our mission."
On Sunday, the Pentagon announced that U.S. forces have carried out a lethal strike on a vessel allegedly carrying suspected narco-traffickers in the Eastern Pacific, killing six people on board.
The latest strike brings the death toll in the Trump administration's attacks on ships carrying suspected drug smugglers to at least 156, according to The New York Times.
It was the 45th strike since the U.S. began targeting boats in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific in early September and comes amid a recent increase in the pace of strikes, the newspaper reported.
