Air and Marine Operations and partners disrupt smuggling of 2.8 tons of cocaine in the Eastern Caribbean Sea

MIAMI- U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Air and Marine Operations worked with partners in the Eastern Caribbean to disrupt smuggling of 2.8 tons of cocaine, denying transnational criminal organizations approximately $73,892,000 USD on April 9, 2024.

"Partnerships are key to stopping drugs from reaching our borders," stated Creighton A. Skeen, Director of Air and Marine Operations, Caribbean Air and Marine Branch. "We will continue to leverage unique capabilities to stop illicit smuggling on the seas."

On April 8, a National Air Security Operations aircrew worked with multiple partners in the Eastern Caribbean to maintain continuous observation of a suspicious vessel with nine people on board.

On April 9, the Air and Marine Operations aircrew coordinated with Joint Interagency Task Force-South and U.S. Coast Guard partners for interdiction of the suspicious vessel.

The aircrew continued aerial monitoring as the suspicious vessel evaded law enforcement and threw bales overboard. Partner teams recovered 84 bales of cocaine from the water that weighed 5,618 pounds.

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.

In Fiscal Year 2023, AMO enforcement actions resulted in 1,004 arrests and 89,909 apprehensions of undocumented individuals, as well as the seizure or disruption of 256,883 pounds of cocaine, 2,049 pounds of fentanyl, 4,050 pounds of methamphetamine, 2,200 weapons, and $15.3 million.For additional news releases and other AMO information, visit www.cbp.gov or follow AMO on X, Instagram, and Facebook.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation's borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.