Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) seized vessels carrying approximately $60.7 million worth of cocaine in the eastern Pacific Ocean, according to a CBP press release issued on Thursday.
“A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) aircrew, in coordination with interagency partners, conducted continuous overhead surveillance during the interdiction of vessels carrying more than 4,659 pounds of cocaine in the eastern Pacific Ocean, June 18-19,” the press release reads.
“[A Jacksonville, Florida-based] AMO crew aboard a P-3 Long Range Tracker aircraft detected multiple suspected drug smuggling vessels, known as pangas, during operations in international waters, and coordinated with Joint Interagency Task Force – South (JIATF South) to interdict. The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted both vessels, arrested three suspects, and recovered 24 bales of cocaine.”
The thwarted smuggling attempts were achieved as a part of an ongoing international operation entitled “Operation Martillo,” Spanish for “hammer.”
Operation Marillo is “a U.S., European, and Western Hemisphere effort targeting illicit trafficking routes in coastal waters along the Central American isthmus,” according to U.S. Southern Command.
The operation involves the cooperation of 17 countries, including Belize, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the U.K.
Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF South), a component of U.S. Southern Command, leads U.S. military participation in the international operation.
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