Since she took office earlier this year, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has made clear that stopping the flow of illegal drugs is a major part of her agenda.

An example of that came this past week when Noem announced that over 45,000 pounds of narcotics had been seized in a series of busts. 

Drugs taken from 14 vessels

According to Wichita's KSNW, the seizure included 45,000 pounds of cocaine and 50 pounds of marijuana which was taken from 14 different smuggling vessels.

Valued at nearly half a billion dollars, the illegal cargo was interdicted in waters near Mexico as well as countries in South and Central America.

KSNW noted that while the operation involved multiple federal agencies, it was led by the U.S. Coast Guard, which deployed tactical aircrews.

Noem highlighted the Coast Guard's achievement at a press conference, saying, "Their core mission is simple, but it’s incredibly crucial. It’s to secure our territorial waters."

Coast Guard admiral to smugglers: "We own the sea, not you"

"Fewer families are going to be torn apart by addiction, that fewer lives are going to be lost to overdoses," the Trump administration official declared.

Thanks to our Coast Guard’s maritime security and interdiction efforts, over half a BILLION dollars worth of illegal drugs NEVER reached American communities.

That means fewer lives lost to overdoses and fewer resources in the hands of violent cartels. pic.twitter.com/JI4PWQCrAV

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) March 20, 2025

Noem then went on to praise the Coast Guard, hailing it as "the premier law enforcement maritime agency in the world."

Adm. Kevin Lunday serves as the Coast Guard's acting commandant, and he spoke up as well, stating, "Our message to these cartels is this: we own the sea, not you."

Twenty-nine alleged drug cartel members successfully extradited

Noem's words echoed remarks she made in a social media post which read, "Today, over 22.5 tons of drugs were offloaded and removed from circulation by the [United States Coast Guard]."

"We are clearing our communities of illicit drugs that fuel addiction and crime," she continued before adding, "In less than 100 days, President Trump is delivering on his promise to make America safe again."

Noem's announcement came less than a month after the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that 29 suspected Mexican drug cartel members had been successfully extradited. 

A DOJ press release said that they "are collectively alleged to have been responsible for the importation into the United States of massive quantities of poison, including cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin, as well as associated acts of violence."