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FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. Air and Marine Operations (AMO) deployed a Black Hawk helicopter to intercept a boat suspected of smuggling drugs off the coast of Puerto Rico earlier this month.
On May 14, AMO detected a 25-foot blue vessel carrying three people and visible packages. After surveilling its activity, the San Juan Marine Unit deployed a pair of law-enforcement boats, flanked by the Black Hawk, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The agency seized three Dominican Republic nationals along with five bales containing 391 pounds of cocaine.
The helicopter-assisted takedown is just the most recent display of American military might that has been targeting narcotrafficking operations south of the U.S. border.
BORDER CRISIS SHIFTS TO CARIBBEAN: HOMELAND SECURITY FIGHTS SILENT WAR IN PUERTO RICO
U.S. agents approach a boat suspected of carrying narcotics off the coast of Puerto Rico (Customs and Border Protection)
“Our Air and Marine Operations teams demonstrated exceptional skill and coordination in this interdiction. The decisive use of air disabling fire by our Black Hawk crew was instrumental in stopping the vessel and preventing dangerous narcotics from reaching our communities,” Caribbean Air and Marine Branch Director Christopher Hunter said.
“This operation highlights our commitment to working with partners across all levels to disrupt smuggling networks and protect the security of the United States and its territories,” he added.
Early on in his second administration, President Donald Trump made it clear he would use all available designations to label drug smuggling as a threat to the homeland.
On Jan. 20, 2025, Trump declared a state of emergency brought on by the influx of narcotics.
“They present an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with those threats,” the White House said in…
