CHARLESTON, S.C. — The U.S. Coast Guard announced Thursday that since early August, it has seized over 40,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific as part of Operation Pacific Viper. That averages out to more than 1,600 pounds of cocaine intercepted every day.

One of the biggest seizures happened on June 26, when the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton stopped two fast-moving vessels about 115 miles southeast of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. A patrol plane spotted the boats first, and the ship’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron helped take control. The team seized more than 4,475 pounds of cocaine.

The Coast Guard says these operations are all about stopping drugs before they reach U.S. shores and breaking up the criminal networks behind them.

The Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton is based in Charleston, South Carolina, and is part of the Atlantic Area command headquartered in Portsmouth.