U.S. Coast Guard reports record drug seizures in Pacific

SAN DIEGO -- The U.S. Coast Guard has seized more drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean during the last 10 months than in the previous three years combined, the agency announced Monday.

The agency has confiscated more than 119,000 pounds of cocaine, worth over $1.8 billion wholesale, since the beginning of fiscal year 2015 in October, officials said during a press conference in San Diego.

CBS affiliate KFMB reports that Coast Guard operations account for more than half of all drug seizures by federal agencies, officials said.

One Coast Guard ship returned to the U.S. in April carrying 28,000 pounds of cocaine -- the result of 19 separate busts by U.S. and Canadian forces near central and South America.

215 suspected smugglers have been apprehended by the U.S. Coast Guard during fiscal year 2015, according to the agency