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WORDS BYLINE: Hayley Chamberlain

A US Coast Guard crew has offloaded nearly 4,000 pounds of cocaine worth more than $28.7 million – in a haul officials say was enough to kill over 1.4 million people.

The crew of the Cutter Tampa brought ashore around 3,825 pounds of the drug on Thursday (16 April) at Base Miami Beach following two separate interceptions in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

The seizures were carried out as part of Operation Pacific Viper, the Coast Guard confirmed.

Officials said the scale of the bust highlights the ongoing threat posed by transnational drug trafficking networks, with the majority of US-bound narcotics stopped before they reach land.

"This crew's performance over the last 74 days has been nothing short of phenomenal," said Commander Joshua DiPietro, commanding officer of Tampa.

"From qualifying several pilots, tie-downs, landing safety officers, and helicopter control officers for aviation operations at the start of the patrol to seizing nearly $45 million in illicit narcotics, their teamwork during complex operations was truly impressive," Commander DiPietro said. "They met every challenge head-on, working seamlessly with our partner agencies and international allies to disrupt transnational criminal organizations."

The Coast Guard said operations like this form a key part of the wider US strategy to tackle narco-terrorism and dismantle criminal networks operating across borders.

According to officials, around 80% of drug interdictions targeting the United States take place at sea.