Exclusive video shows Coast Guard helicopter sniper disabling narco-boat engines

The Coast Guard cutter Munro intercepted over 20,000 pounds of cocaine during a single operation on Tuesday, marking the largest haul involving a high-speed smuggling boat by a national security cutter.

Exclusive footage shows Coast Guard personnel, including a sniper from the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON)Operation Pacific Viper.

The intercepted cocaine, seized in the Eastern Pacific south of Mexico, represents more than 7.5 million potentially lethal doses, according to the Coast Guard.

Launched in August, Operation Pacific Viper is a joint effort between the Coast Guard and Navy to curb the flow of illegal narcotics into the United States, aligned with the Trump administrations stringent anti-drug policies in Latin America.

By October, the operation had already yielded 100,000 pounds of cocaine in the eastern Pacific, averaging around 1,600 pounds per day.

The HITRON snipers specialize in targeting smuggling vessels engines, rendering them inoperable and enabling Coast Guard teams to board and confiscate the drugs. These high-speed "go-fast" boats are commonly used to transport illegal drugs through Caribbean and Pacific waters.

In fiscal year 2025, the Coast Guard reported seizing nearly 510,000 pounds of cocainethe largest in its historywhich equates to 193 million potentially lethal doses, or more than three times the agencys typical yearly average of approximately 167,000 pounds.

The administration has designated major drug cartels, such as Tren de Aragua and Sinaloa, as foreign terrorist organizations. Separate from Pacific Viper, the U.S. has conducted multiple strikes against suspected narcotics vessels in Latin American waters since September.

While legal concerns have been raised regarding these strikes, officials maintain that the actions fall within U.S. authority. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated, "We've only just begun striking narco-boats and putting narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean because they've been poisoning the American people."

Author: Natalie Monroe