Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times,

The U.S. Coast Guard has seized about 100,000 pounds of cocaine since launching Operation Pacific Viper in August, officials reported Oct. 15.

The Coast Guard and its partners are targeting vessels suspected of bringing illegal narcotics such as cocaine into the United States from Central and South America.

The operation aims to stop drug trafficking and human smuggling by cartels and criminal organizations.

The Coast Guard has seized an average of about 1,600 pounds of cocaine every day since starting the operation, prohibiting about 34 vessels from reaching the United States and apprehending 86 suspected drug traffickers.

“The Coast Guard’s seizure of over 100,000 pounds of cocaine, in such a short time frame, is a remarkable achievement,” said Rear Adm. Jeffrey Novak, deputy commander of U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area, in a statement.

“When we say the Coast Guard is accelerating counter-narcotics operations, we mean it.”

The maritime force is scouring drug smuggling routes in the eastern Pacific and dismantling narco-terrorist networks, Novak added.

“We are complementing the Coast Guard’s unique law enforcement authorities with cutting-edge capabilities to stop the flow of deadly drugs that threaten U.S. communities,” he said.

The operation requires interagency and international coordination, according to the Coast Guard.

U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Interagency Task Force-South, based in Key West, Florida, detects and monitors aerial and maritime movement of illegal drugs. Once a suspected drug trafficking crew zeros in on the U.S. coastline, the law enforcement phase of the operation starts, and the Coast Guard takes control.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said the operation is a disruptor.

“Operation Pacific Viper has proven to be a crucial weapon in the fight against foreign drug traffickers and cartels in Latin America and has sent a clear message that we will disrupt, dismantle, and destroy their deadly business exploits wherever we find it,” Noem said in a statement.

Noem credits the Coast Guard for “saving countless American lives” with the operation.

In September, the Coast Guard captured seven suspected smugglers transporting about 13,000 pounds of cocaine in the Pacific and sank the boat as part of the operation.

The sinking was part of a live-fire exercise, removing it permanently from cartel use, according to the Coast Guard.

Also on Oct. 15, Coast Guard members received their paychecks despite the government shutdown. Noem announced the day before that Coast Guard members “will not miss a paycheck this week” as they carry out their missions. 

The DHS oversees the Coast Guard during times of peace.