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Air and Marine Operations

Air and Marine Operations and partners seize 1.5 tons of cocaine in Eastern Pacific

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MIAMI – US Customs and Border Protection's Air and Marine Operations worked with partners in the Eastern Pacific to seize 1.5 tons of cocaine, denying transnational criminal organizations approximately $40,521,700 on March 2. A Houston Air and Marine Branch Maritime Patrol Aircraft detected a suspicious vessel while working with Joint Interagency Task Force-South and international partners in the narcotics smuggling source and transit zone. The aircrew maintained constant surveillance and communication with maritime crews. An international partner team interdicted the vessel, arrested five

CBP extends expedited hiring authority to hire 200 air interdiction agents

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced today that the Direct-Hire Authority to hire 200 air interdiction agents has been extended through Jan. 30, 2026. “Air interdiction agents conduct airborne surveillance to detect and deter the movements of illegal narcotics and the trafficking of human beings across our borders,” said Executive Assistant Commissioner for Air and Marine Operations Jonathan P. Miller. “Our agents work in collaboration with our partners at CBP and dozens of international, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to safeguard our homeland

AMO Intercepts Vessel Near Mona Island Seizing 384 Pounds of Cocaine and Arresting 3 Smugglers

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AGUADILLA, Puerto Rico —Marine Agents of US Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (AMO), arrested Wednesday three non-citizens transporting inside a “yola” vessel 384 pounds (174.4 kilograms) of cocaine near Mona Island. The estimated value of the seized narcotics is approximately $ 4.3 million. "This successful interdiction near Mona Island is a testament to the dedication of our Air and Marine agents,” stated Creighton Skeen, Acting Director of Air and Marine Operations in the Caribbean. “Our collective efforts have dealt a significant blow to criminal enterprises seeking

Super Team of Teams

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Astrid Gilbert’s job was defense on Super Bowl Sunday. But she wasn’t part of the San Francisco 49ers or the Kansas City Chiefs at the game played in Las Vegas; she was a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations pilot. “I manned the aircraft that was in charge of aerial surveillance and reconnaissance,” said Gilbert, who normally flies out of Yuma, Arizona. She, along with a camera operator in the seat next to her, provided a video downlink to CBP forces and other federal, state and local law enforcement on the ground to keep an eye out for crowd control, traffic incidents

AMO Flight Engineer Surpasses 23,000 Hours of Flight Time on the P-3 Aircraft and 50 Years of Federal Service

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations flight engineer has surpassed multiple career milestones, having spent more than 23,000 hours on a P-3 aircraft, 48 years as a flight engineer working with P-3s, and 50 years of federal service. Paul J. Waeghe, Jr., ventured from his hometown of Wyandotte, Michigan, and began his federal service in 1973. He entered the U.S. Navy where he served in a P-3 training patrol squadron. Over the course of the next 26 years, Waeghe rose in rank and responsibility, continuously serving in units that operated the P-3

Air and Marine Operations Southeast Region crews apprehend 1,086 migrants in December

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MIAMI— U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations Southeast Region crews worked with U.S. Coast Guard, Homeland Security Task Force-Southeast, local and international law enforcement partners to apprehend 1,086 migrants between Dec. 1 and Dec. 14, 2023. On Dec. 5, Miami Air and Marine Branch and Jacksonville Air and Marine Branch Multi-Role Enforcement Aircraft crews located multiple smuggling vessels near Turks and Caicos Islands. The crews communicated the location to an Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) team who coordinated for Turks and Caicos Islands maritime

CBP Intercepts 63 Migrants from the Dominican Republic and Haiti in a Yola Vessel Near Southwestern Puerto Rico

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AGUADILLA, Puerto Rico – Marine Agents of US Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (AMO), along with Puerto Rico Police, intercepted Friday a “yola” type vessel with 63 undocumented migrants. On Dec.1, two AMO maritime assets and one Puerto Rico Police Department Fuerzas Unidas de Rapida Accion (FURA) unit located a vessel crammed with migrants navigating east towards the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico. Agents escorted the vessel to the AMO boat station, where Ramey Sector Border Patrol Agents arrested 63 undocumented migrants: 48 males and 6 females from the Dominican

CBP law enforcement agents and partners rescue injured cyclist in remote mountains

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BOULEVARD, Calif. — CBP’s U.S. Border Patrol and Air and Marine Operations (AMO) collaborated with the San Diego Sheriff’s Office and Cal Fire to rescue an injured man on Friday. At approximately 12:30 p.m., Border Patrol agents received a call from the San Diego Sheriff’s Office with a request for assistance in locating an injured cyclist. The cyclist told dispatchers he was badly injured and in need of medical assistance in east San Diego County. Agents immediately requested the help of an AMO air asset. An AMO helicopter responded to the man’s general location and located him in a mountain