PATRIOT BRIEF
- What Happened: A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter sniper disabled a cartel go-fast boat during an interdiction mission in the Eastern Pacific, footage obtained by Fox News reveals.
- Why It Matters: The Coast Guard seized more than 20,000 pounds of cocaine — over 7.5 million potentially lethal doses — marking the largest drug seizure ever made by a national security cutter during a go-fast vessel takedown.
- Bottom Line: The cartels keep pushing poison into America, but U.S. forces keep shutting them down. One sniper. One mission. Millions of lives protected.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter sniper brought a cartel drug run to a dead stop in the Eastern Pacific, taking out a narco-boat loaded with more than 20,000 pounds of cocaine in a stunning interdiction caught on camera and obtained by Fox News Digital.
The dramatic footage shows the Coast Guard’s elite Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron, known as HITRON, moving in on a go-fast vessel after repeated attempts to get the suspected traffickers to comply. When the crew refused to stop, the sniper opened fire with precise disabling shots, knocking out the boat’s engines and leaving the cartel crew dead in the water.
WATCH:
BREAKING: Coast Guard helicopter sniper takes out narco-boat in the Eastern Pacific in footage obtained by Fox News.
The Coast Guard seized over 20,000 pounds of cocaine during the mission, which amounts to more than 7.5M potentially lethal doses, according to the outlet.
"The… pic.twitter.com/kvtbk49NWp
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 6, 2025
According to Fox News, the Coast Guard cutter Munro carried out the mission as part of Operation Pacific Viper and completed the largest cocaine seizure ever by a national security cutter during a go-fast interdiction. The haul — over 20,000 pounds — equates to more than 7.5 million lethal doses of cocaine that will never make it onto American streets.
This is what real border security looks like.
HITRON, based in Jacksonville, Florida, specializes in these high-stakes interdictions, inserting snipers from an airborne platform to neutralize drug-running vessels that travel too fast for traditional pursuit. Their operations have long been a nightmare for cartels, who now face not only U.S. ships on the water but aerial precision capable of ending a multimillion-dollar run in seconds.
The Coast Guard has not released the identities of the personnel involved but praised the mission as a major win in the ongoing fight against transnational criminal organizations.
One sniper. One mission. Millions of lives protected.