Bondi traveled to Florida to tout the seizure of cocaine and marijuana by U.S. Coast Guard crews and put a spotlight a key Trump administration priority to go after drug traffickers helping to fuel America’s addiction crisis.

Bondi’s appearance at the south Florida port, standing in front of a Coast Guard ship and stacks of the intercepted drugs, underscores the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the Justice Department to align with the President Donald Trump’s priorities to crack down on violent crime, illegal immigration and cartels.

Ships, aircraft and drones were used to intercept the traffickers off the coast of Peru, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, according to Bondi, who said the seizures have led to sealed indictments against 11 people.

Bondi said investigators have linked two cartels – Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa – to the shipments, and described the seizures as a “major blow” to their financial operations.

“What they did saved countless American lives,” Bondi said of Coast Guard crews that intercepted the drugs. “This cocaine would have been distributed throughout our country and perhaps throughout our world.”

The Sinaloa cartel, Mexico’s oldest criminal group, which traffics drugs, weapons and people, and Jalisco New Generation were among eight Latin American crime organizations as “foreign terrorist organizations” by the Trump administration in February, upping its pressure on cartels operating in the U.S. and on anyone aiding them.

“This administration has labeled them foreign terrorist organizations because that’s what they are,” said FBI Director Kash Patel, who joined Bondi in Florida Wednesday.

The Stakes at Home

The $510 million haul—estimated at street value—underscores the scale of the drug trade plaguing the U.S. Overdose deaths, driven largely by cartel-supplied fentanyl, topped 100,000 annually in recent years, a crisis Trump has vowed to tackle. The cocaine and marijuana seized, while less lethal than synthetic opioids, represent a lucrative revenue stream for the cartels, funding violence and corruption from Mexico to Main Street.

“This isn’t just about drugs—it’s about the lives they destroy,” said Dr. Ellen Carver, a public health expert at Johns Hopkins University. “Every kilo off the street is a step forward, but it’s a hydra—cut off one head, another grows.” The operation’s success, she noted, hinges on sustained pressure, not one-off wins.

In Washington, reactions split along partisan lines. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) praised the bust as “proof Trump’s delivering on promises,” while Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) questioned its long-term impact. “Seizing drugs is fine, but where’s the strategy to stop the flow?” she asked on X, echoing skeptics who see the move as more theater than solution.

Global Ripples

The operation’s Latin American theater—Peru, Ecuador, and the Galapagos—highlights the cartels’ sprawling reach. Both nations, key cocaine producers, have battled trafficking networks with U.S. aid, though corruption and poverty complicate efforts. Ecuador’s government welcomed the seizures, with a spokesperson calling it “a shared victory.” Peru, meanwhile, stayed mum, wary of cartel reprisals.

Mexico, the cartels’ home base, looms large. The Sinaloa and Jalisco groups, weakened by infighting and arrests, rely on sea routes as land borders tighten. Bondi’s announcement could provoke retaliation—past U.S. actions sparked violence south of the border—but she remained defiant. “Let them try,” she said when pressed on the risk. “We’re ready.”

Economic and Political Fallout

Markets felt the tremor. The Dow dipped 150 points as investors weighed potential trade disruptions—China, a chemical supplier for cartel fentanyl, could tighten exports in response. American businesses, from shipping firms to retailers, braced for higher costs if smuggling shifts tactics. “It’s a ripple effect,” said analyst Paul Dermot of Box Office Insights. “The cartels don’t just vanish—they adapt.”

Politically, the bust bolsters Trump’s narrative of strength as midterm elections near. His base, vocal on X, hailed the move—“Finally hitting back at the drug lords!” one user posted—while critics decried it as a distraction from domestic woes like inflation, now at 4.2%. “Showy, but what about jobs?” another asked.