CBP On The Case

Photo by John Rossino

A US Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, P-3 crew operating out of Jacksonville, Florida, detected a go-fast vessel in the open ocean on 27 February 2011 carrying 1,100 pounds of cocaine valued at more than $82 million. The thirty-five-foot, twin-engine vessel was spotted speeding off the coast of Panama when the P-3 crew began tracking it. Local law enforcement assets were called in to board the vessel and after inspection, several dozen bales of cocaine were recovered. During FY2011, the CBP P-3s were responsible for the seizure or disruption of more than 148,000 pounds of cocaine valued at more than $11.1 billion, or approximately 20.6 pounds (valued at $1.5 million per pound) seized for every P-3 flight hour.