Many have seen the news about the recent record seizure of 20,000 pounds of cocaine by the US Coast Guard in a joint operation with the Navy. The Coast Guard does a fantastic job of doing everything in its power to protect our shores and to keep illegal drugs off America’s streets, but what is not known by many, is the role that Snipers/Sharpshooters play in this important mission.
The U.S. Coast Guard’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) was originally founded in 1998 to counter the massive inflow of illegal narcotics. It was estimated that 80% of these narcotics were entering the US via the sea in small “go fast” boats. So a small experimental team of six pilots and four enlisted members tested the idea of using helicopters with marksmen onboard to disable these boats from the air, allowing them to then be boarded. The initial trial was very successful and the HITRON squadron became permanent. Just this month, December 2025, during Operation Pacific Viper, a HITRON sniper aboard a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter executed a disabling shot that brought a high-speed cocaine-smuggling vessel to a stop in the Eastern Pacific.
On this occasion, the boat was originally spotted south of Mexico, pushing hard toward U.S. waters. The Coast Guard cutter Munro launched its HITRON team to intercept. As the evading vessel zigzagged at high speed, the helicopter closed in, doing its best to maintain a stable firing platform. From the open door of the Dolphin, the sniper used a Barrett M82 chambered in .50 BMG to target the engine on the boat, quickly disabling it. The M82 is the primary rifle of the HITRON teams as it provides exceptional stopping and penetrating power with semi-automatic functionality to allow rapid follow-up shots. As is normal, once the boat was disabled, the boarding teams moved in, securing the vessel and its crew without further resistance.
The 20,000 pounds in a single seizure in and of itself is a huge win, but it was part of what has been a record-breaking campaign. Operation Pacific Viper has already seized over 510,000 pounds of cocaine in FY2025, the largest haul in Coast Guard history. These missions underscore the evolving role of precision sniping in law enforcement, where disabling fire is used to stop threats without unnecessary loss of life. This is noteworthy as it shows the versatility of snipers and that it is not always about taking a life.
HITRON’s success lies in rigorous training and a unique mission profile that blends military capability with law enforcement restraint. Shooting from a helicopter at a moving target on the open sea is no small feat and these experts in the field deserve praise for their skill and capability. These HITRON and tactical intercept squadrons within the Coast Guard also have Light Machine Guns mounted as well, but the snipers are used for precision engagements like these.
As cartels adapt with faster boats and more sophisticated routes, expect HITRON’s role to expand. Their ability to deliver precision fire from the air is a force multiplier, ensuring interdictions happen away from U.S. shores, reducing the risk of violent escalation and unnecessary loss of life.
Sniper Central
Hooray for our USCG Hitron team….well trained professionals that are keeping drug flow from continuing to destroy American lives! Over 100,000 American lives lost in a year, and tent cities springing up all over the USA bringing crime and death. The “enemy” has a plan to destroy the USA from within by flooding it with “invaders” and drugs.