Bondi and Patel reveal confiscation of more than $509 million worth of cocaine connected to cartels

Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have announced the seizure of over $509 million in illegal drugs.

Bondi and Patel disclosed the seizure during a press conference on Wednesday. They mentioned that the Coast Guard intercepted nearly 45,000 pounds of cocaine and 3,800 pounds of marijuana, with a total value exceeding $509 million.

According to Bondi, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación and the Sinaloa Cartel were both “heavily tied” to these drug shipments.

“Dealing such a significant blow to their financial operations and drug distribution efforts within our nation is crucial. It demonstrates a prosecutor-driven, strategic approach to halting these criminal organizations in their tracks,” Bondi emphasized.

Kash Patel (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“The cocaine planned for distribution across our nation and potentially worldwide has been thwarted,” she highlighted. “The individuals responsible will face consequences for introducing this harmful substance into our communities. I always maintain that saving even a single life through our efforts is monumental. Today, through this exceptional collaboration, we have undoubtedly preserved the lives of countless individuals,” she declared.

Patel said the operation sends a message to cartels: “They are no longer going to be free to roam.”

Pam Bondi, U.S. attorney general, and Kash Patel, director of the FBI, are shown during a press conference at Port Everglades on April 9, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

“We are going to dismantle the next-man-up theory that has been breeding in these Mexican cartels for generations. No more,” Patel said. “There is no lethal force on planet Earth that is responsible for an overdose death of an American citizen every seven minutes, more so than these federal terrorist organizations, foreign terrorist organizations.”

A Coast Guard representative said during the press conference that the operation was 11 days long and involved crew from the United States Coast Guard Cutter James.