Image Credits: US Coast Guard The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement announcing that the U.S. Coast Guard has successfully seized more than 25,000 pounds of cocaine across three interdictions in less than a week, surpassing more than 260,000 pounds of cocaine seized overall in Operation Pacific Viper. On September 11, a maritime patrol aircraft spotted a go-fast vessel in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, south of Costa Rica. U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Tampa launched its cutter boat and embarked helicopter to intercept it. The helicopter crew employed effective warning shots before Coast Guard law enforcement personnel conducted a boarding. During the boarding, Coast Guard personnel discovered suspected contraband that tested presumptively positive for cocaine. The crew of USCGC Tampa seized approximately 3,100 kilograms, or more than 6,800 pounds, of cocaine, embarked three suspected smugglers, and sank the vessel as a hazard to navigation. Five days later, on September 15, USCGC Tampa’s embarked helicopter detected a suspected drug-smuggling vessel south of Panama. As the cutter responded, crews spotted a second suspected drug-smuggling vessel. Coast Guard personnel interdicted both vessels, seizing approximately 6,827 kilograms, or more than 15,000 pounds, of cocaine and embarked six suspected smugglers. The following day, USCGC Tampa was diverted by a maritime patrol aircraft to a go-fast vessel south of Panama. Tampa launched its cutter boat and embarked helicopter, and the helicopter crew employed warning shots and disabling fire to stop the vessel. The cutter boat crew interdicted four suspected narco-terrorists and seized approximately 1,568 kilograms, or 3,456 pounds, of cocaine after the helicopter crew located a bale field. Over the course of these three interdictions, the total amount of cocaine seized was 11,456 kilograms, or more than 25,256 pounds. With 1.2 grams of cocaine considered a potentially deadl