The U.S. Coast Guard seizes an 

The U.S. Coast Guard primarily targets a vast, six million square mile region known as the 

Maritime Transit Zone, which encompasses three key areas: 

• The Eastern Pacific Ocean
• The Caribbean Sea
• The Gulf of Mexico 

This “transit zone” is the expansive maritime area between the drug-producing countries in South America and the U.S. border. The strategy is to interdict large, bulk shipments of drugs as far from U.S. shores as possible, where they are most vulnerable to detection and interdiction before being broken down into smaller loads for final entry into the U.S.. 

Within these zones, the Coast Guard and its partners focus on specific routes and methods:

• Eastern Pacific Ocean: This area, particularly off the coasts of Colombia, Ecuador, and Central America, is a major route for multi-ton loads of cocaine, often moved in fishing vessels or low-profile, semi-submersible “narco-subs”.
• Caribbean Sea: Smugglers in this region commonly use high-speed “go-fast” vessels to transport cocaine from the northern coast of Colombia to various island nations like the Dominican Republic and Jamaica for transshipment.
• Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands: These U.S. territories, being geographically located within the transit zone, have served as significant entry points for drugs destined for the continental U.S., leading to increased Coast Guard operations in these specific waters. 

Interdiction efforts are a coordinated “team effort” led by the Coast Guard in conjunction with the Department of Defense, Joint Interagency Task Force-South, and numerous international partners who share intelligence and allow operations in their territorial waters. 

annual average of approximately 167,000 pounds of cocaine, a figure that can vary significantly each year depending on operational success. 

For the most recent reporting period, Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, the Coast Guard set a historic record, seizing more than 510,000 pounds of cocaine and other illicit drugs. This amount was nearly three times their typical annual average. 

Annual Seizure Data

While annual totals fluctuate, the Coast Guard consistently interdicts significant amounts of illicit drugs, primarily in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. 

• Average Annual Seizure: Approximately 167,000 pounds of cocaine.
• Fiscal Year 2025 (Record Year): Over 510,000 pounds of cocaine and other drugs seized, with an estimated street value of over $7.2 billion.
• Fiscal Year 2023: 2,593 metric tons of cocaine flow was detected in the maritime transit zone.
• Fiscal Year 2022: 2,848 metric tons of cocaine flow detected.
• Fiscal Year 2021: 2,483 metric tons of cocaine flow detected. 

The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for maritime drug interdiction and collaborates with the Department of Defense and international partners on these operations. The significant increase in FY 2025 was attributed to specific operations like “Operation Pacific Viper,” which surged forces to known drug transit zones. 

For official data and recent press releases, you can visit the U.S. Coast Guard News page. 

The U.S. Coast Guard’s annual drug seizure amounts can vary significantly, but they average around 

167,000 pounds of cocaine annually. 

In fiscal year 2025 (FY25), the Coast Guard set a historic record by seizing more than 510,000 pounds of cocaine and other illicit drugs, which is over three times the annual average. The estimated street value of the FY25 seizures was over $7.2 billion. 

Annual Known Maritime Cocaine Flow (Metric Tons)

The following data on known non-commercial maritime cocaine flow (in metric tons) was provided by a DHS Office of Inspector General report using Coast Guard data for previous years: 

• FY 2021: 2,483 metric tons
• FY 2022: 2,848 metric tons
• FY 2023: 2,593 metric tons 

The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for maritime drug interdiction and conducts operations primarily in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea in coordination with interagency and international partners, such as the Department of Defense and Joint Interagency Task Force-South. 

Besides maritime routes, drugs are primarily smuggled into the United States via land borders, particularly the U.S.-Mexico border, and through the use of air transport and postal services. 

Key methods of entry include:

• Land Ports of Entry (POEs): The most common method, by weight, involves concealing drugs within legitimate commercial cargo on trucks or in hidden compartments within passenger vehicles. Smugglers blend in with the high volume of legitimate travelers and trade, making detection challenging.
• Between Land POEs: Smugglers use various means to cross areas without official barriers or with less surveillance. These methods include:
  • Underground tunnels: Sophisticated tunnels equipped with ventilation and rail systems are constructed under the border.
  • “Mules” or backpackers: Individuals carrying drug loads across remote terrain.
  • Over barriers: Using ramps, catapults, or even drones/unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) to move smaller quantities over fences.
  • Through barriers: Cutting holes in existing border fences.
• Air Transport: Drugs can be smuggled via:
  • Private planes.
  • Commercial air cargo.
  • Couriers on commercial flights, often carrying drugs on their bodies or in their luggage.
• Mail and Package Delivery Services: The U.S. Postal Service and private courier services are attractive to traffickers due to their anonymity and low cost. Drugs, particularly potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl, can be mailed in small, hard-to-detect quantities.
• Body Concealment: Individuals may conceal drugs on their body, in luggage, or even internally to evade detection. 

Drug trafficking organizations (DTOs), primarily Mexican cartels, constantly adapt their methods in response to law enforcement efforts, moving between air, land, and sea routes and employing innovative concealment tactics.