U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Air and Marine Operations (AMO) worked with their federal and international partners to seize 5,893 pounds of cocaine in international waters Oct. 6 and 11, denying transnational criminal organizations an estimated $111.4 million USD in proceeds.
On Oct. 6, a National Air Security Operations (NASO) Center P-3 Airborne Early Warning crew assumed monitoring of a suspect vessel in the Western Caribbean Ocean and guided international law enforcement partners to the location, where officers seized 4,993 pounds of cocaine. On Oct. 11, a P-3 Airborne Early Warning crew again detected a suspect vessel near Curacao and notified a U.S. Coast Guard team, which interdicted the vessel and seized 900 pounds of cocaine.
AMO has P-3 NASO Centers located in Jacksonville, FL and Corpus Christi, TX. P-3 aircraft operate throughout North, Central and South America in defense of the borders of the United States to prevent attempts to smuggle persons or contraband and are vital in partnership with U.S. Southern Command detection and monitoring operations. This partnership bolsters support to U.S. and international law enforcement by sharing information and intelligence to help identify, track and disrupt suspected illicit trafficking targets.
AMO safeguards our nation by anticipating and confronting security threats through our aviation and maritime law enforcement expertise, innovative capabilities, and partnerships at the border and beyond. With approximately 1,800 federal agents and mission support personnel, 240 aircraft and 300 marine vessels operating throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands, AMO serves as the nation’s experts in airborne and maritime law enforcement.
In Fiscal Year 2021, AMO enforcement actions resulted in 1,119 arrests and 122,035 apprehensions of undocumented individuals as well as the seizure or disruption of 324,772 pounds of cocaine, 779,725 pounds of marijuana, 18,548 pounds of methamphetamine, 900 weapons, and $73.3 million.
