CBP Says Miami Drug Seizures More Than Doubled as Maritime Patrols Expand

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says its Air and Marine Operations agents in Miami seized more than 17,000 pounds of narcotics in fiscal year 2026, compared with just over 7,000 pounds the year before.

Border czar Tom Homan and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott presented the figures Thursday at the Port of Miami. The agency attributed the increase to expanded operational capacity, more flight hours and closer coordination with law enforcement partners.

CBP also said apprehensions of people attempting to reach Florida by sea in the Border Patrol's Miami Sector fell by more than 90% between fiscal years 2025 and 2026. The agency described the decline as part of its broader effort to disrupt maritime smuggling routes.

Under Operation Gateway Blockade, CBP officers in Florida made nearly 200 weapons-related seizures, according to the agency. Those actions stopped more than 200 firearms and more than 150,000 rounds of ammunition from reaching criminal organizations overseas, CBP said.

The figures reflect CBP's own fiscal-year reporting, not the results of a single raid or seizure announced Thursday. Officials discussed cooperation among air crews, marine units, Border Patrol agents, airport and seaport officers, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

After the remarks, Air and Marine Operations personnel conducted a simulated maritime smuggling takedown. That demonstration was training, separate from the enforcement totals presented at the briefing.