​The U.S. Coast Guard seized more than 4,500 pounds of cocaine valued at about $34 million, a discovery officials described as tied to a suspected narco-terrorist vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Easter Sunday, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Coast Guard cutter Escanaba was alerted by a maritime patrol aircraft that the crew of the suspected vessel was throwing contraband overboard. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew was dispatched to investigate the vessel off the coast of Manta, Ecuador, and the Escanaba deployed a pursuit boat to recover more than 4,510 pounds of cocaine.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the recovery was part of Operation Pacific Viper, a Coast Guard counter-drug operation launched in August 2025 in the Eastern Pacific. He described the operation as central to President Trump’s fight against the cartels at sea, aimed at cutting off their profits from trafficking their poison into the United States. Mullin noted the operation has already seized over 215,000 pounds of cocaine and arrested more than 160 suspected narco-traffickers, adding that the Coast Guard’s brave men and women are saving American lives by keeping these deadly drugs out of communities and off the streets.

DHS said the Coast Guard’s efforts to disrupt drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific are a key part of the administration’s initiative to combat narco-terrorism and dismantle transnational criminal organizations. Through Operation Pacific Viper, the Coast Guard has seized more than 215,000 pounds of cocaine and apprehended more than 160 suspected narco-traffickers, according to DHS.

The operation included what DHS described as the Coast Guard’s largest drug seizure in its history, when more than 76,000 pounds of illegal drugs were recovered in August 2025, valued at $473 million, with the total reflecting multiple interdictions combined into a single offload. The Coast Guard also seized nearly 50,000 pounds of illicit drugs in November 2025, valued at $362 million—one of the largest totals attributed to a Coast Guard cutter from multiple interdicts, according to DHS.  

​A New York City man is facing murder charges after allegedly setting a fire in a Queens apartment building that killed four people, including a 3-year-old girl, and injured seven others, authorities said. Roman Amatitla, 38, of Maspeth, was arrested Wednesday and arraigned on multiple charges, including eight counts of second-degree murder and first-degree arson, in connection with the March 16 blaze at a three-story building on Avery Avenue in Flushing. He faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors described the incident as an act of mass murder. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Amatitla had no known motive and did not appear to have any connection to the building or its occupants, noting that he selected the building at random. Prosecutors said Amatitla was seen entering and exiting the Avery Avenue building several times that morning, at one point urinating in front of the apartments. He then went to a nearby gas station, bought a beer, stole a second one, and took a pack of matches after refusing to pay for a lighter. After entering the building for a fourth and final time, authorities said, he lit a piece of paper on fire and tossed it onto trash near a stairwell. As smoke spread through the street, he remained in the area watching the building burn, according to court testimony.

During a Thursday court hearing, Queens Assistant District Attorney Gabriel Reale said Amatitla “watched as people jumped from various windows, some of them living, one of them dying,” while sipping a beer, according to a report from the New York Post. Three of the victims — Sihan Yang, 3; Chengri Cui, 49; and Shin Chie Ming, 61 — were found inside the building and pronounced dead at the scene from smoke inhalation. A fourth victim, Hong Zhao, 64, died later at a local hospital after suffering multiple broken bones and brain trauma when he leaped from a window to escape the flames. Several first responders were injured in the rescue, including an FDNY lieutenant and a firefighter who entered the basement after a staircase collapsed, suffering thermal burns and smoke inhalation. Four other occupants were injured by jumping to flee the fire, and a fifth was rescued from a second-story window by firefighters.

Prosecutors said Amatitla “had to get his rage out on someone or something,” though no official motive has been released. NYPD records indicate he is from Mexico, though his immigration status has not been confirmed.  

​A California sheriff’s detective was shot and killed Thursday while serving an eviction notice after an armed suspect opened fire on deputies in what authorities described as an apparent ambush that led to an hours-long standoff. The suspect, identified as David Eric Morales, was ultimately killed when a law enforcement BearCat armored vehicle ran over him after he continued firing and refused to surrender, authorities said. “The suspect was lying prone on the ground, in camouflage clothing, continuing to pose a threat,” Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said during a news conference. “The situation was resolved, and the suspect is now dead. He was not shot. One of the BearCats ran over him and killed him.”

Boudreaux said the shooting happened around 10:40 a.m. in Porterville, where deputies encountered Morales, who allegedly fired at them with a high-powered rifle. Authorities said Morales remained barricaded in his home for hours after the shooting, firing repeatedly as deputies and assisting agencies worked to contain the scene. REPEAT OFFENDER KILLS 2 DEPUTIES DAYS AFTER $50K BOND DESPITE LONG VIOLENT RECORD: POLICE.

Boudreaux said Morales eventually exited the home through a window and was later found outside, lying in brush while wearing camouflage and continuing to pose a threat. The detective, identified by Boudreaux as Deputy Randy Hoppert, was struck by gunfire and transported to Sierra View District Hospital, where he died at 11:57 a.m. Hoppert was a Navy corpsman who served from 2010 to 2015 and joined the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 5, 2020, Boudreaux said. “This situation went from a civil order of removal to where our officer was shot and killed. This is senseless,” Boudreaux said.

TIM TEBOW AND WIFE DEMI-LEIGH PARTNER WITH COMPANY GIVING EX-CONVICTS SECOND CHANCE: ‘WHAT GRACE IS ALL ABOUT’. Authorities considered airlifting the Hoppert to Fresno, but his condition was too unstable for transport. Boudreaux said Morales had not paid rent for 35 days, and deputies were serving a final eviction notice when the shooting occurred. The sheriff said Morales appeared to have been waiting for deputies and “laid in wait” before opening fire, prompting a call for additional units. Boudreaux described the outcome in blunt terms: “Don’t shoot at cops. You shoot at cops. We’re going to run you over. He got run over. He got what he deserved,” the sheriff said.

SIX DEAD, INCLUDING TEEN MOM AND INFANT, IN BELIEVED GANG-RELATED SHOOTING. He added that the suspect had “chosen this ending.” The sheriff also told reporters he spent time with Hoppert’s wife and mother earlier this afternoon. “I sat down at the hospital and met with the wife and his mom, and I can tell you there is no consoling that family at this point,” Boudreaux said. “Attacks on law enforcement of this nature must stop.  

​Rex Heuermann, the Gilgo Beach serial killer, admitted this week to torturing and murdering eight women across Long Island, New York, and has agreed to be evaluated by the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit as part of a plea deal that carries three life sentences without the possibility of parole. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney told reporters after Heuermann entered his guilty plea that the interviews with the defendant would be clinical in nature—designed to explore his motivations and background as an academic and scientific exercise rather than as investigative questioning. He noted the sessions would likely be limited to what Heuermann pled guilty to, with the goal of gaining insight to inform future cases.

Heuermann’s decision to cooperate places him alongside other infamous killers who have been profiled by the BAU, including Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy. Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess, a pioneer of the Behavioral Science Unit, suggested that such an evaluation could yield valuable understanding of a criminal who was highly organized, meticulous, and skilled at evading detection across many years.

The potential payoff, Burgess added, lies in examining the psychological makeup of someone who appears to be orderly and capable of murder on a large scale. She acknowledged that Heuermann could have had more victims, and that the full extent of his actions might become clearer through this process. Officials may have been drawn to studying Heuermann because of particular aspects of his killings.

The agreement requires Heuermann to be truthful, accurate, and complete with the BAU, according to defense attorney Michael Brown. While the interviews could provide crucial insights into the inner workings of a serial killer’s mind, Burgess cautioned that collaborating with the FBI can also influence how the case is interpreted or narrated, so researchers must be mindful of that dynamic.  

​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!. As Artemis II races toward a historic return from the moon, it’s a daughter’s joyful, offbeat tribute to astronaut Victor Glover that’s capturing the internet’s heart.. Glover’s daughter went viral on social media this week after posting a video playfully dancing while wearing a shirt donning a picture of her father in a space suit.. “When your dad successfully pilots Artemis II halfway to the moon … & u forget the dance,” Glover’s daughter, Maya, wrote in an Instagram post.. The video amassed a staggering 21.9 million views on TikTok and Instagram as of Thursday afternoon, with companies including Walmart and Spotify weighing in on her parent’s impressive feat.. NASA’S ARTEMIS II CREW COMMITS TO MOON TRAJECTORY AFTER CRITICAL BURN SENDS ORION INTO DEEP SPACE. “This quite literally makes you generationally iconic,” Instagram’s official account commented on the post.. Walmart added, “‘yeah my dad is out of this world.'”. “First daughter of the moon,” Starbucks commented.. ARTEMIS II ASTRONAUTS FACE TOILET TROUBLE AS THEY HEAD TOWARD THE MOON. Coach replied, “He’s an icon.”. Victor Glover is the first Black astronaut to travel beyond low Earth orbit and journey to the vicinity of the moon.. In a separate post, the California Polytechnic State University student shared a series of NASA-related photos from her childhood.. “The kid that built rockets in the garage wearing her dads aviator helmet just watched her dad launch to the moon on the most powerful rocket humans have ever built for all mankind,” she wrote in the post. “We love you dad.”. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP. Following a successful 10-day mission, Orion is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean Friday night.. Re-entry remains a large hurdle, with dangers arising from the 25,000 mph high-speed return to Earth.