U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) safeguards our Nation by anticipating and confronting security threats through our aviation and maritime law enforcement expertise, innovative capabilities, and partnerships at the border and beyond.
With approximately 1,800 federal agents and mission support personnel, 240 aircraft, and 300 marine vessels operating throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands, AMO conducts its mission in the air and maritime environments at and beyond the border, and within the nation's interior.
AMO interdicts unlawful people and cargo approaching U.S. borders, investigates criminal networks and provides domain awareness in the air and maritime environments, and responds to contingencies and national taskings.
In Fiscal Year 2019, AMO enforcement actions resulted in the seizure or disruption of 284,825 pounds of cocaine, 101,874 pounds of marijuana, 51,058 pounds of methamphetamine, 935 weapons and $34.1 million, 1,575 arrests, 52,036 apprehensions of illegal aliens.
| Category | FY19 | FY20 |
|---|---|---|
| Air and Marine Operations | 377 | 184 |
CBP agents frequently conduct life-saving efforts, while carrying out their respective missions. Numbers below reflect Fiscal Year Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 and Fiscal Year (FY) 2020.
Fiscal Year 2020 runs October 01, 2019 - September 30, 2020.
Air and Marine Operations Nationwide Drug Seizures
Numbers listed below are reflective of AMO’s enforcement actions with non-CBP agencies for FY 2017 - FY 2020.
Fiscal Year 2020 runs October 01, 2019 - September 30, 2020.
| Category | FY 17 | FY 18 | FY 19 | FY20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cocaine | 196,832 | 205,792 | 227,475 | 113,256 |
| Heroin | 342 | 544 | 507 | 299 |
| Marijuana | 113,873 | 178,478 | 59,396 | 165,137 |
| Methamphetamine | 2,783 | 175,409 | 48,872 | 6,733 |
| Fentanyl | 100 | 243 | 387 | 552 |
*weights are in pounds (lb)
Monthly Air and Marine Operations Nationwide Drug Seizures
Numbers listed below are reflective of AMO’s enforcement actions with non-CBP agencies for FY2020.
Fiscal Year 2020 runs October 01, 2019 - September 30, 2020.
| Month | Marijuana | Cocaine | Heroin | Methamphetamine | Fentanyl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | 6,535 | 16,678 | 58 | 243 | 159 |
| November | 642 | 19,538 | 30 | 245 | 72 |
| December | 244 | 3,826 | 32 | 320 | 7 |
| January | 6,325 | 10,651 | 5 | 96 | 17 |
| February | 4,823 | 11,770 | 19 | 300 | 36 |
| March | 2,734 | 5,256 | 47 | 966 | 28 |
| April | 32 | 8,653 | 2 | 603 | 37 |
| May | 132,240 | 244 | 10 | 696 | 49 |
| June | 2,774 | 802 | 73 | 876 | 39 |
| July | 5,748 | 11,473 | 3 | 295 | 26 |
| August | 2,508 | 13,939 | 14 | 1,747 | 66 |
| September | 532 | 10,424 | 7 | 346 | 15 |
*weights are in pounds (lb)
CBP/AMO - Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Flight Operations
CBP’s oversight framework and procedures ensure that UAS operations are in compliance with privacy and civil liberty laws and standards. In compliance with Congressional reporting requirements, CBP makes publicly available the number of missions and flight hours flown by the UAS, split into three categories: maritime border security; state, local, and tribal coordination; land border security. All missions and flight hours (including training and maintenance flights) are allocated to one of these three categories. Missions that were categorized in CBP AMO’s system of record as maritime reconnaissance/surveillance/target acquisition are classified as ‘Maritime Border Security’. Missions flown in coordination with a state, local, or tribal primary partner are classified as ‘State, Local, & Tribal Coordination’. All other hours are classified as ‘Land Border Security’.
Numbers listed below are reflective of AMO's operations for FY 2017 - FY 2019.
| Mission Category | FY17 Flight Hours |
FY17 Mission Count |
FY18 Flight Hours |
FY18 Mission Count |
FY19 Flight Hours |
FY19 Mission Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land Border Security | 961 | 7,120 | 1,555 | 7,642 | 2,417 | 7,849 |
| Maritime Border Security | 20 | 116 | 59 | 287 | 75 | 367 |
| State, Local & Tribal Coordination | 9 | 40 | 2 | 14 | 3 | 11 |
| Total | 990 | 7,276 | 1,616 | 7,942 | 2,495 | 8,227 |