The U.S. Coast Guard seized a 35-foot vessel carrying 1,150 kgs of cocaine after it experienced engine trouble and caught the attention of an Air and Marine Operations (AMO) tracker crew.
Though the three individuals on board attempted to jettison fuel barrels and bails once they noticed the AMO P-3 Orion Long Range Tracker that had taken an interest in them, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter and helicopter were dispatched and successfully intercepted. They were found to be Colombian citizens, and are now being held for prosecution.
The AMO flight in question utilized one of the 240 aircraft the organization makes use of routinely in aeronautical and maritime patrols. Its focus is on illegal cargo and the people peddling it on approach to U.S. borders, as well as the criminal networks that make it possible. Their 1,800 federal agents and support personnel also utilize 300 maritime vessels in their patrols of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.