OPINION / FINE PRINT — “The U.S. Coast Guard introduced [last] Tuesday it has seized greater than 100,000 kilos of cocaine within the japanese Pacific Ocean since launching Operation Pacific Viper in early August, averaging over 1,600 kilos interdicted every day. These drug seizures, and the apprehension of 86 people suspected of narco-trafficking, have been the results of 34 interdictions since early August. Via Operation Pacific Viper, the Coast Guard is accelerating counter-drug operations within the japanese Pacific Ocean, the place important transport of illicit narcotics continues from Central and South America. In coordination with worldwide and interagency companions, the Coast Guard is surging further property — cutters, plane and tactical groups — to interdict, seize and disrupt transshipments of cocaine and different bulk illicit medicine.”
That’s the start of a U.S. Coast Guard press assertion launched final Tuesday, which has gotten little nationwide publicity.
I publish it, and extra about Operation Pacific Viper, as a result of till final week I had no information of this profitable Coast Guard operation. It’s necessary, as a result of at some point later, within the Oval Workplace final Wednesday, President Trump was requested by a reporter why he had not used the Coast Guard to cease alleged Venezuelan narco-boats moderately than having – at the moment — at the least 5 of them blown up inflicting the deaths of 27 people. A sixth narco-vessel was destroyed final Friday killing three extra people.
Final Wednesday, Trump replied, “We have been doing that [using Coast Guard interdiction] for 30 years and it has been completely ineffective.” Trump went on: “They [the Venezuelan narco-traffickers] have sooner boats. A few of these boats are critically, I imply they’re world-class speedboats, however they are not sooner than missiles.”
Apparently, the “world-class speedboats” haven’t affected the Coast Guard interdiction actions within the japanese Pacific. Beneath is a Coast Guard-released photograph of Coast Guard Cutter USS Hamilton with its two boarding groups out interdicting two go-fast speedboats suspected of drug smuggling. It was taken June 26, 2025, southeast of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
As final Tuesday’s Coast Guard press launch defined, “Detecting and interdicting narco-terrorism on the excessive seas includes important interagency and worldwide coordination. U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM’s) Joint Interagency Job Drive-South (JIATFS), primarily based in Key West, Florida, detects and displays each aerial and maritime transit of unlawful medicine. As soon as interdiction turns into imminent, the legislation enforcement section of the operation begins, and management of the operation shifts to the U.S. Coast Guard all through the interdiction and apprehension.”
I ought to level out that SOUTHCOM’s JIATFS is a Protection Division (DoD) command that makes use of the capabilities of U.S. intelligence and legislation enforcement businesses, allies and associate nations to detect, monitor, and help interdiction of illicit narcotics actions within the air and maritime all through the Western Hemisphere – which means each the Pacific and Caribbean areas.
Let me emphasize, SOUTHCOM directs what takes place each within the japanese Pacific and the Caribbean areas.
Within the case of final June’s narco-trafficker speedboat within the above photograph, the boat was initially detected by a U.S. Navy maritime patrol plane. Then the Hamilton’s personal Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron aircrew took over and offered airborne tactical help. Amongst their particular weapons are helicopter-mounted, long-range rifles that may hit and disable the engines mounted on the rear of narco-trafficker speedboats. The result’s the speedboats within the japanese Pacific are being halted, the crews arrested, and seizure of greater than 4,475 kilos of cocaine, in accordance with the Coast Guard.
Within the Caribbean, the U.S. has Coast Guard cutters much like the Hamilton, but in addition different U.S. Navy vessels that I consider would have permitted seizure of the 5 speedboats that as a substitute have been blown up. Whereas the primary Caribbean-located speedboat destroyed September 1, was transferring, maybe heading again to the place it got here from, movies of the subsequent 4 that have been destroyed confirmed they weren’t transferring within the water earlier than they have been struck and exploded.
Why had these 4 stopped?
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Final Thursday, Protection Secretary Hegseth introduced a sixth strike, this time in opposition to a slow-moving semi-submersible submarine-type boat utilized by narco-traffickers in each the Caribbean and japanese Pacific.
On Friday, in an Oval Workplace press availability, President Trump stated, “We attacked a submarine, and that was a drug-carrying submarine constructed particularly for the transportation of large quantities of medication.” The semi-submersible was destroyed, however whereas two crew members have been killed, two survived.
Right here I ought to observe that beneath Operation Pacific Viper, the Coast Guard has additionally launched latest video exhibiting its personnel capturing a semi-submersible narco-trafficking vessel within the japanese Pacific, arresting its crew and seizing its medicine.
On Friday, President Trump tried to rationalize the Caribbean coverage of blowing up narco-trafficking vessels, with no point out that within the japanese Pacific beneath Operation Pacific Viper comparable narco-traffickers are stopped, boarded, crews arrested and medicines seized.
Trump on Friday defended the Caribbean destruction/killing coverage saying, “We had super quantities coming in by boats, by very costly boats. , they’ve some huge cash, very quick, very costly boats that have been fairly large. And the best way you have a look at it’s each boat that we knock out, we save 25,000 American lives. So each time you see a ship [destroyed] and you are feeling badly, you say, ‘Wow, that is tough.’ It’s tough. However in case you lose three folks and save 25,000 folks — these are folks which are killing our inhabitants. Each boat is saving 25,000 lives.”
Alternatively, Rear Adm. Jeffrey Novak, deputy commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Space, whose Operation Pacific Viper since August has carried out 34 interdictions and arrested 86 suspected narco-traffickers, stated final Tuesday, “Our maritime preventing power is scouring drug smuggling routes within the japanese Pacific and dismantling narco-terrorist networks. We’re complementing the Coast Guard’s distinctive legislation enforcement authorities with cutting-edge capabilities to cease the circulate of lethal medicine that threaten U.S. communities.”
Why a killing coverage within the Caribbean and an interdiction coverage within the japanese Pacific?
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On Thursday, the identical day that Secretary Hegseth introduced the putting of the semi-submersible, Adm. Alvin Holsey, commander of SOUTHCOM, unexpectedly introduced he was retiring after lower than a 12 months into what usually is a three-to-four 12 months project. Holsey gave no cause.
Nevertheless, The New York Instances reported final Thursday that one present and one former U.S. official stated Adm. Holsey “had raised considerations concerning the mission and the assaults on the alleged drug boats.”
The Trump administration has argued that drug cartels are Overseas Terrorist Organizations and Transnational Felony Organizations and it’s the coverage of the U.S. “to make sure the whole elimination of those organizations’ presence in america and their means to threaten the territory, security, and safety of america,” in accordance with an Government Order signed by President Trump on January 20, 2025.
This has led to the Trump administration’s authorized justification for utilizing navy power in opposition to narco-traffickers within the Caribbean, classifying them as “illegal combatants.” This coverage shift has been extremely controversial and has triggered debate amongst lawmakers and authorized consultants.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), showing Sunday on CBS’ Face the Nation, stated, “This [Caribbean] operation, which is clearly, historically a legislation enforcement operation, now escalating to one thing perhaps, because the President talks about, regime change. I believe that is the mistaken transfer for this President. The Coast Guard has the assets to do that.”
A Navy pilot for greater than 20 years who flew 39 fight missions throughout Desert Storm, and later three house flights as a NASA astronaut, Kelly added, “I do fear concerning the authorized authorities or lack thereof that america navy has to conduct these sorts of strikes… These admirals and generals, they should converse reality to energy. I’ve had conversations with essentially the most senior members of our navy about this particular factor. They can’t be breaking the legislation.”
Kelly went on, “[It] would not matter if the President or the Secretary of Protection tells them to do one thing. If it is in opposition to the legislation, they need to say no. They are not required to comply with an illegal order. So we count on that from them.”
When it got here to Adm. Holsey’s shock retirement, Kelly stated, “I do not know the precise circumstances, why the admiral give up. He hasn’t stated publicly but. I count on, in time, we’ll discover out extra.”
Allow us to hope so, from Adm. Holsey or another navy personnel concerned within the Caribbean killing operations.
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