A Jacksonville-based aircrew with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection flying a P-3 on a patrol about 190 miles northwest of Isla de Coco last week when they detected a suspicious speedboat. U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard aircraft maintained surveillance until a ship could intercept the smugglers.
Three suspects were taken into custody and authorities recovered more than 954 pounds of cocaine.
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Two days earlier, another P-3 crew was on a counter-drug patrol when they detected a suspicious go-fast vessel around 90 nautical miles east of Costa Rica. While tracking the vessel, the P-3 crew saw the smugglers throwing 35 bales of contraband into the water.
Costa Rican law enforcement intercepted the vessel, recovered 1,313 pounds of marijuana, and detained five crew members onboard.
Between the two busts, $74 million in illegal drug activity was intercepted.
"Every day we're committed to detecting, interdicting and preventing acts of terrorism and the unlawful movement of people, illegal drugs and other contraband toward the United States," said Doug Garner, Jacksonville-based director of National Air Security Operations Center. "The strong relationships with our international partners continue to bring results."
Under the international counter illicit trafficking initiative called Operation Martillo, U.S. military and law enforcement agencies and regional partner nations' military and law enforcement agencies patrol the air and sea environments in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and the Eastern Pacific on a year-round basis.
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