In the fight against criminal organizations’ illcit activities, the maritime law enforcement cycle of success thrives on cooperation.
From a relatively modest beginning, America’s maritime law enforcement efforts have used evidence and information gathered from drug busts at sea to make more interdictions and arrests. These tactical successes, in turn, have uncovered more pieces of the smuggling puzzle, leading to even more interdictions and arrests. Coordinated federal maritime efforts over the past decade have, in some cases, resulted in the arrest and removal of an entire leadership layer of some transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). This has been essential in stemming the influence of TCOs and preventing further de-stabilization of governments in our hemisphere.