Coast Guard Takes Down Drug Boat Allegedly Holding 5,500 …

Dramatic video has surfaced showing an operation in which the U.S. Coast Guard took down a drug boat allegedly holding 5,500 pounds of cocaine.

The video, first obtained by Fox News, shows body camera footage of a Coast Guard boat approaching a low-profile vessel allegedly used to smuggle drugs. One man can be seen holding his arms up in the air in surrender as officers point their guns and shout commands.

Two officers then step onto the alleged drug boat and pull three men out, ordering them all onto the ground at gunpoint. It’s currently unclear if the men were charged for allegedly carrying the drugs.

Fox reports the incident in the video happened on September 10 when a unit from the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Seneca completed a drug bust that yielded 5,500 pounds of cocaine just northeast of the Galápagos Islands.

It was back in August when the Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Pacific Viper—a partnership between the Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy.

An August 26 release from DHS claimed U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton seized over 76,000 pounds of illegal drugs. The value of the drugs was estimated to be at around $473 million. The DHS says that offload included approximately 61,740 pounds of cocaine and 14,400 pounds of marijuana.

The DHS release stated, “With a lethal dose of cocaine being as little as 1.2 grams, the amount offloaded by Hamilton’s crew is enough to potentially kill 23 million people.” The DHS, giving credit to officers, says, “They are defending the Homeland with overwhelming force.”

Earlier this month, it was reported 11 people were killed when the U.S. Military blew up a boat coming from Venezuela that was allegedly carrying illegal drugs. Video from the incident was shared on social media, showing the boat getting stuck by a missile and then bursting into flames.