Mission accomplished for members of 19 Wing Comox members, who were part of a major drug seizure operation.
The Totem Times reported that last month, a 41-person Air Task Force contributed to the seizure of roughly 3 tonnes of cocaine worth more than $293 million USD.
This happened while they were deployed on Op CARIBBE, a U.S.-led enhanced counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Capt. Brad Little from 19 Wing Comox Public Relations, says the operation involved members of 407 Long Range Patrol Squadron, which is part of 19 Wing.
“We had 12 members from 407 Long Range Patrol Squadron, who were deployed on Operation CARIBBE, and two members who were liaison officers at the air component coordination element, Atlantic, that were present in the 41-person detachment,” Little explained.
Under this operation, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) ships and aircraft deployed to the region to support the U.S. mission to suppress trafficking in international waters and airspace.
Little says the 407 squadron personnel are crew members on the CP-140 Aurora aircraft, which is “specifically designed to look for maritime surface and subsurface targets, and that’s how they were employed.”
The Times reported that this deployment consisted of:
- One CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft,
- Members from multiple units across the country,
- 14 missions, and
- approximately 150 flight hours
According to the Times, the 41-person detachment also consisted of:
- 20 members from 405 Long Range Patrol (LRP) Squadron,
- one member from 404 LRP and Training Squadron,
- 12 members from 407 LRP Squadron,
- three members from 14 Operational Support Squadron,
- two members from 14 Mission Support Squadron,
- one nursing officer from 1 Canadian Field Hospital, and
- two Air Liaison Officers from 407 LRP Squadron and Air Component Coordination Element (Atlantic).
Little said it as a team effort, specifically, “a 41-person team effort, all working in close coordination in order to effect the seizure of interdict drugs.”
