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]]>Three suspected narco-terrorists were killed, according to Hegseth. The strikes were ordered at the direction of President Donald Trump.
Hegseth said the Pentagon conducted “yet another lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO). Yet again, the now-deceased terrorists were engaged in narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific.”
TRUMP APPROVES MILITARY ACTION AGAINST LATIN AMERICAN CARTELS CLASSIFIED AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS
(Secretary of War via X)
“The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and was carrying narcotics,” he continued. “Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters. All three terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike.”
This is the ninth vessel strike since September and the second strike reported in the Eastern Pacific. A total of 37 have reportedly been killed while two survived and were later repatriated to their home countries.
TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS. IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING?
A U.S. military drone strike ordered by President Trump destroyed a vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Oct. 22, 2025, killing three suspected narco-terrorists, according to the Department of War. (Department of War)
“These strikes will continue, day after day,” Hegseth said on Wednesday. “These are not simply drug runners—these are narco-terrorists bringing death and destruction to our cities. These DTOs are the ‘Al Qaeda’ of our hemisphere and will not escape justice. We will find them and kill them, until the threat to the American people is extinguished.”
The Pentagon has refused to release the identities of those killed or evidence of drugs on board.
The Trump administration has been scrutinized in recent weeks over the strikes, including by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who raised concerns about killing people without due process and the possibility of killing innocent people.
A U.S. military drone strike ordered by President Trump destroyed a vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Oct. 22, 2025, killing three suspected narco-terrorists, according to the Department of War. (Department of War)
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In a recent interview, Paul cited Coast Guard statistics that show a significant percentage of boats boarded for suspicion of drug trafficking are innocent.
The senator has also argued that if the administration plans to engage in a war with Venezuela, as it has targeted boats in recent weeks it claims are transporting drugs for the Venezuela-linked Tren de Aragua gang, it must seek a declaration of war from Congress.
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]]>Officials said 24 defendants were arrested in coordinated operations Friday, eight were already in custody, and one remains at large. Authorities executed 11 federal search warrants, and results are pending.
At a Philadelphia news conference, FBI Director Kash Patel called the operation a model for reclaiming violent corridors from crews, praising years of collaboration between the FBI, Philadelphia Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Today, even more criminals are off the streets because of the diligent work of the FBI and our partners,” FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement.
“Over 30 people have been charged for their alleged role in drug trafficking and dozens of other offenses. These individuals were charged with distributing fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine on one of the most prolific drug blocks in Philadelphia. They were members of a violent drug trafficking organization and used violence to enforce their territory and sell drugs that poison our city streets and community. The FBI will continue our work to put an end to drug trafficking and violence in our cities.”
SUSPECTED SINALOA CARTEL MEMBERS APPREHENDED IN 23-STATE SWEEP BY DEA
FBI Director Kash Patel announces a federal indictment charging 33 people in a Kensington drug trafficking case during a news conference in Philadelphia, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
“This takedown is how you safeguard American cities from coast to coast,” Patel said. “We have permanently removed a drug trafficking organization off the streets of Philadelphia.”
U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said the case centers on the 3100 block of Weymouth Street in Kensington, a prolific stretch of the city’s open-air market. The indictment charges a conspiracy dating to January 2016 through October 2025 involving fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine and cocaine.
“It’s a massive drug-trafficking conspiracy spanning nearly a decade, the largest federal indictment this century brought by our district,” Metcalf said. “We targeted it like a precision missile at Kensington’s epicenter.”
Metcalf said 22 defendants were arrested during the sweep, while eight already in local custody will be transferred to federal court next week. Agents have recovered dozens of firearms and significant amounts of narcotics from alleged stash locations; totals will be detailed in court filings.
DEA MAKES MASS ARRESTS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE FENTANYL AND METH BUST TIED TO SINALOA CARTEL
Suspects brandished firearms in a video tied to a drug trafficking case in Pennsylvania. (Department of Justice)
Prosecutors said the organization was allegedly led by Jose Antonio Morales Nieves, 45, of Luquillo, Puerto Rico, known as ‘Flaco,’ who “essentially owned” the block and charged rent to other dealers; Ramon Roman-Montanez, 40, of Philadelphia, known as ‘Viejo,’ who managed daily operations and organized shifts; and Nancy Rios-Valentin, 33, of Philadelphia, who also oversaw finances and shift schedules.
The crew allegedly used violence to enforce its territory including shootings, murder and assaults and retaliated against witnesses who cooperated with law enforcement.
During a Q&A, officials said no substantive murder or shooting counts have been filed but the investigation continues.
FBI, LAPD BUST VIOLENT MEXICAN MAFIA-LINKED GANG: ‘THE ERA OF CARTELS IS OVER,’ KASH PATEL SAYS
Surveillance captured crowds in a Philadelphia neighborhood identified as an open-air drug market before the takedown announced Friday. (Department of Justice)
FBI Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs said the operation used nine tactical teams and involved hundreds of officers. Most arrests occurred in Kensington, with others in Puerto Rico, Delaware and New Jersey.
“For too long the Weymouth Street drug organization flooded Kensington with drugs and terrorized residents with horrific acts of violence and intimidation,” Jacobs said. “That ended today.”
He said the FBI will launch public-safety ads urging residents to share crime tips securely.
“Our job doesn’t end with these arrests,” Jacobs added. “We will remain here, standing with the people of Kensington.”
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said the case shows the city’s shift to treating open-air markets as an organized public-safety threat, not isolated street dealing.
“We’re not going to apologize for removing people who terrorize our community,” Bethel said. “This is the model we can keep running.”
Officials framed the case as part of PSN Recon, an offshoot of Project Safe Neighborhoods that merges federal, state and local intelligence to target violent offenders block-by-block. Metcalf said the group meets monthly to identify the most dangerous actors and pursue organization-level prosecutions instead of one-off gun or drug cases.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche added: “Drug traffickers who poison our communities and enforce their territory through violence will face the full force of federal law. Working alongside our state and local partners, the Department of Justice will continue to dismantle these criminal networks and restore safety to neighborhoods that have suffered for far too long.”
Patel closed by thanking investigators and line prosecutors who built the case. “You need courageous prosecutors to bring these cases,” he said. “This is exactly how you safeguard American lives. The blocks belong to the residents, not the drug dealers.”
“For the criminals that remain out there,” Metcalf warned, “the next indictment has a space with your name on it.”
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All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and charges are allegations.
Jasmine Baehr is a Breaking News Writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, faith and culture.
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]]>The post Coast Guard nabs 50 tons of cocaine bound for posh coastal enclaves as cartel ops ‘rival Amazon’: expert appeared first on My Blog.
]]>The operation is a surge in Coast Guard forces to the Eastern Pacific aimed at stopping cartels and transnational criminal organizations before their drugs and human smuggling operations reach U.S. shores, the Coast Guard said in an Oct. 14 release. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Operation Pacific Viper has averaged about 1,600 pounds of cocaine interdicted daily, resulting in 34 total interdictions since its launch.
“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,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “In cutting off the flow of these deadly drugs, the Coast Guard is saving countless American lives and delivering on President Trump’s promise to Make America Safe Again and reestablish our maritime dominance.”
In August, Operation Pacific Viper yielded the Coast Guard’s largest-ever drug offload, when the USCGC Hamilton offloaded more than 76,000 pounds of illegal drugs, valued at $473 million, at Port Everglades—including approximately 61,740 pounds of cocaine and 14,400 pounds of marijuana.
A U.S. Coast Guard crew member offloads seized cocaine in San Diego following Operation Pacific Viper in the Eastern Pacific. (U.S. Coast Guard)
CBP AGENTS SEIZE $1.3M WORTH OF METH AND HEROIN IN BORDER DRUG BUST AMID TRUMP’S WAR ON NARCOTERRORISM
To better understand the scope of the cocaine trade and what such seizures mean for national security, Fox News Digital spoke with Spencer Coursen, a threat management specialist and former U.S. Army Ranger and special deputy marshal. Coursen explained that most cocaine bound for the U.S. originates along Colombia’s Pacific coast, with routes often passing through Ecuador, Peru or Venezuela before moving north via the Caribbean, Mexico or increasingly, the Pacific corridor.
People flock to Windansea Beach along the La Jolla coast on May 10, 2025, in San Diego, California. The Coast Guard has been targeting drug traffickers who have been sending narcotics toward American shores. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
As law enforcement efforts tightened along traditional routes, cartels shifted west, taking advantage of the vastness of the Pacific to evade detection.
“They’re not street gangs,” Coursen said. “They’re global logistics enterprises that rival Amazon, vertically integrated from jungle production to port distribution. They have infrastructure, surveillance, counter-surveillance and billions in cash and weapons to protect their routes.”
The U.S. Coast Guard approaches a suspected smuggling vessel in the Pacific Ocean during Operation Pacific Viper, part of ongoing efforts to disrupt cartel maritime networks. (U.S. Coast Guard)
WAR DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES NEW COUNTER-NARCOTICS TASK FORCE UNDER TRUMP DIRECTIVE TO CRUSH CARTELS
Coursen said that while the operation’s success spotlights the Coast Guard’s vigilance, it also gives a glimpse into the sheer scale and sophistication of the narcotics trade.
“Every win is great,” Coursen said. “But every win is also an insight into just how much cocaine is being moved. The most recent estimates show 3,000 to 4,000 tons a year—about 6 million pounds. So even massive interdictions like this are only scratching the surface.”
A U.S. Coast Guard cutter patrols the Eastern Pacific during Operation Pacific Viper, part of the service’s ongoing mission to intercept drug trafficking vessels at sea. (U.S. Coast Guard)
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Coursen warned that despite major seizures like Operation Pacific Viper, cartels’ vast resources allow them to absorb losses and continue operations.
“If nine out of 10 shipments are seized, they’re still making a profit,” he said. “Each one is insured by scale. To them, it’s a tariff—just the cost of doing business.”
He added that the U.S. remains the largest consumer of cocaine globally, accounting for an estimated 40% of worldwide demand.
Despite the success of Operation Pacific Viper, Coursen said interdiction alone will not solve the problem.
“It’s an enormous challenge,” he said. “But every interdiction is a win for national security, and for the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way to make it happen.”
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a U.S. Writer at Fox News Digital.
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