see also: in January 2003:   U.S. Customs Inspectors Seize 166 Pounds of Marijuana and $180,000 Cash in Shipment of Live Bears   South Texas U.S. Customs Inspectors Seize $7.2 Million in Narcotics This Week   Agents seize 106 Pounds of Marijuana at Checkpoint (pdf - 21 KB.)   Border Patrol Agents Seize 221 Pounds of Marijuana (pdf - 22 KB.)   U.S. Customs Service Inspectors at El Paso Port Stop 11 Drug Shipments Wednesday; Seizures Also Made At Presidio, Santa Teresa and Columbus Ports   Enforcement of 24-Hour Rule Begins February 2   U.S. Customs Service Native American Trackers and Special Agents Seize 2,421 Pounds of Marijuana ...more

contacts for this news release

WASHINGTON, DC--A U.S. Customs P-3 AEW (airborne early warning) aircraft and P-3A tracker aircraft, both patrolling off the Bahamas, yesterday located and tracked a suspect go-fast boat carrying more than 3,000 pounds of marijuana. Authorities seized approximately 3,188 pounds of marijuana. No arrests were made.

On Monday, January 6, two Customs P-3 aircraft operating near the Bahamas received information that a suspect go-fast boat had been sighted five miles off the eastern coast of Cuba. The Customs aircraft located the target and immediately began to track it while waiting for additional assets to arrive on the scene.

The Customs aircraft tracked the suspect vessel to the southwest coast of Ragged Island, Bahamas. The Customs aircraft then observed several individuals on the vessel offloading what appeared to be bags into a cave along the shore. The boat left the area a short time later.

Helicopters assigned to the Operation Bahamas, Turks, and Caicos (OPBAT) Task Force arrived on the scene and were directed to the cave by the Customs aircraft. The ground crew from the helicopter searched the cave and recovered the marijuana.

In addition to aerial support, the Customs Air and Marine Interdiction Coordination Center in Riverside, Calif., provided extensive communications and coordination support during the operation.