Office Of Field Operations News

Twelve stowaways were found on a barge in San Juan Harbor, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Juan received notification from a Coast Guard Station San Juan boat crew at 8:34 a.m., Saturday, of a possible stowaway sighting aboard the barge that was being towed by the U.S.-registered tugboat Sarah Dann.Coast Guard Sector San Juan’s Boarding Team responded to the report and found nine stowaways aboard the barge, including one who was unresponsive. The unresponsive stowaway was reported to be breathing and have vital signs.

A cargo ship was ordered to leave the U.S waters after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at the Port of New Orleans discovered invasive insects found in the wood used to secure its previous cargo offloaded earlier in Mexico. The ship, named Pan Jasmine, arrived at the anchorage of Davant, downriver from New Orleans at mile marker 54, on July 17, having previously offloaded a shipment of aluminum in Vera Cruz, Mexico, after coming from Paradip, India."The wood used to pack the aluminum had not been offloaded in Mexico and was left scattered on the deck of the Pan Jasmine, which is unusual. No reason was provided to CBP as to why the dunnage was refused discharge in Mexico, and this raised a red flag.

Law enforcement teams interdicted about 33 pounds of cocaine on board a Togo-flagged cargo ship in Miami on Monday.U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations law enforcement teams boarded the 55-meter general cargo vessel La Temperance on the Miami River due to suspected fraudulent mariner credentials. The 55-meter ship has sailed to Miami from Port-de-Paix, Haiti.While on board, the law enforcement teams inspected common spaces on the vessel…

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working at the El Paso port of entry seized 254 pounds of marijuana Thursday. CBP officers located the drug load during an enforcement operation. “Specialized enforcement operations are an important part of our toolkit and help stop illegal activity at the border ports of entry,” said Beverly Good, CBP El Paso Port Director. The seizure was made just after 6 a.m. when a 1977 Ford F-100 pickup truck with a single occupant entered the Paso Del Norte inspection area from Mexico. CBP officers were performing an enforcement sweep of the vehicles waiting in line when a CBP drug-sniffing dog alerted to the truck. CBP officers scanned the vehicle with an x-ray system and noted anomalies.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations, at the Charleston Seaport arrested a Goose Creek, S.C., woman on Wednesday who was wanted in connection with a local murder. The woman, destined to depart Charleston for the Bahamas on December 7, was the subject of an arrest warrant out of Berkeley County, S.C., for Obstructing Justice – Aiding and Abetting Murder. After verifying the individual’s identity and confirming the warrant, CBP officers, with assistance from South Carolina Ports Authority Police, arrested the individual and turned her over to the U.S. Marshals Service. “Intercepting dangerous criminals in…

Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is improving radiation scanning equipment used at many of our nation's ports of entry. Radiation portal monitors (RPM) now better detect radiological threats while alarming much less frequently on nonthreatening materials, resulting in big savings. The improvements, known as Revised Operational Settings (ROS), are being implemented during the annual calibrations of radiation portal monitors used to detect radiological threats in cargo and conveyances entering the U.S. through official ports of entry.

On Sunday, August 11, Border Patrol agents from Havre Sector arrested a Croatian national who was a deserter from his cruise ship docked in Seattle. On Saturday, the ship’s agent notified CBP officials at the Port of Seattle that one of their crewman had failed to report back to the ship for departure. Customs and Border Protection officers from the Port of Seattle responded to the ship and notified the Havre Border Patrol Sector. Agents from the Havre Border Patrol Station were able to locate the subject on the Amtrak train the following day, and he was taken into custody without incident. The subject is currently being processed for removal. “This arrest shows the depth of the U.S.

President Obama has appointed Alan Bersin Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Commissioner Bersin oversees the operations of CBP’s 57,000-employee work force and manages an operating budget of more than $11b. CBP’s mission is to protect the nation’s borders at and between the ports of entry from all threats while facilitating legitimate travel and trade. Commissioner Bersin is CBP’s third Commissioner following former Commissioner’s Robert C. Bonner and W. Ralph Basham. Former Commissioner Bonner was the first Commissioner at CBP’s inception March 1, 2003. CBP’s operational offices include the Office of Field Operations, the U.S. Border Patrol, the Office of Air and Marine and the Office of International Trade.

The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Border Patrol signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation as part of the recently formed Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG). Ramey Sector Border Patrol Chief Michael DeBruhl and the Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan, Capt. James E. Tunstall, signed the cooperation agreement in a ceremony held at the Coast Guard's Sector San Juan Headquarters. The agreement calls for the permanent assignment of Border Patrol Intelligence agents within the Coast Guard's Sector San Juan Operations Center located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. This collaboration will immediately improve overall intelligence services, intelligence gathering, and allow the Border Patrol to more efficiently support the Coast Guard's biometrics-at-sea program.