Pam Bondi unveils major cartel drug bust worth $510 million

Speaking from a South Florida port with stacks of confiscated cocaine and marijuana behind her, Bondi emphasized that the operation was part of a key Trump administration effort to combat drug trafficking.

The US Coast Guard, supported by aircraft and drones, intercepted the shipments near Peru, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands.

Eleven people have been indicted under sealed charges, and authorities have linked the drugs to two of Mexico’s most notorious cartels — Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation.

"This cocaine would have been distributed throughout our country and perhaps throughout our world," Bondi said. "What the Coast Guard did saved countless American lives."

Cartels designated as terrorist organizations amid tough-on-crime agenda

In February, both cartels were officially designated as foreign terrorist organizations, enabling federal agencies to impose harsher measures and broaden prosecution efforts.

"This administration has labeled them foreign terrorist organizations because that’s what they are," said FBI Director Kash Patel, who joined Bondi at the announcement.

President Donald Trump also proposed the death penalty for drug traffickers in February, stating: "In countries with the death penalty for drug crimes, they don’t have a drug problem."

He argued that drug dealers often indirectly kill hundreds of people by flooding communities with lethal substances like fentanyl, which mostly enters the US through Mexico and Canada.

These efforts come amid ongoing challenges posed by Mexican cartels, which have been linked to both violent crimes and large-scale drug trafficking operations.

In March 2024, a Mexican drug cartel was involved in the kidnapping of around 30 Georgian nationals near the US-Mexico border, demanding a $90,000 ransom.

Some hostages were held in a basement, with partial ransom payments and negotiations still ongoing at that time.