The second day of the 2010 EAA AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, Wisc., was highlighted by the arrival of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine P-3 Airborne Early Warning aircraft. The aircraft, based in Jacksonville, Fla., was staffed with crew members from both OAM P-3 operations centers in Jacksonville and Corpus Christi, Texas.
The OAM P-3 aircraft marked a record year in the 2009 fiscal year, contributing to the seizure or disruption of 257,242 pounds of cocaine.
This figure equates to 40.5 pounds seized for every flight hour, and accounted for 50 percent of the Joint Interagency Task Force South's combined total of 233 metric tons of cocaine seized and disrupted.
The total estimated street value of the contraband is $3,224,538.
Additionally, OAM P-3s were instrumental in eight of JIATF-S's 10 self-propelled semi-submersible cases, as well as the seizure of 28 vessels, one aircraft and two vehicles, along with the apprehension of 58 undocumented aliens and 137 arrests.