Air and Marine Operations (AMO) personnel are being credited with intercepting an international cocaine smuggling attempt in which the narcotics were valued at over $76 million.
Authorities said officers patrolling the Eastern Pacific ocean aboard a P-3 aircraft detected suspects transporting over 3,200 pounds of cocaine worth $76,456,839, which also resulted in the seizure of two vessels.
The intercept efforts occurred between Feb. 28 and Mar. 2, per officials, adding the patrol initiative was part of the Joint Interagency Task Force-South and the AMO crew was based at the National Air Security Operations Center – Corpus Christi, Texas. (NASOC-CC)
“Our personnel execute complex aviation operations in some of the most challenging foreign environments to interdict the transnational criminal organization’s smuggling efforts,” Scott Peterson, NASOC-CC Acting deputy director, said. “This interception illustrates why the P-3 program is the single most successful counter narcotics program in history.”
AMO is a federal law enforcement organization dedicated to serving and protecting through advanced aeronautical and maritime capabilities, interdicting unlawful people and cargo approaching borders, investigating criminal networks and providing domain awareness in the air and maritime environments while responding to contingencies and national taskings.
AMO includes 1,800 federal agents and mission support personnel, 240 aircraft and 300 marine vessels operating throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the
U.S. Virgin Islands.