Protecting the security of Canadians doesn’t start and end at Canada’s borders. In the waters of the Caribbean Basin and the Eastern Pacific Ocean, Canada Command is part of a six-nation force aimed at eliminating the flow of illicit drugs.
Operation Caribbe was launched in November 2006, adding Canadian Air Force and Navy resources to a U.S.-led force that includes the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain and France. Canada’s commitment has included warships, submarines and long-range patrol aircraft, and has helped keep drugs off North American streets. In 2007 and 2008, the multi-national force, known as Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) South, seized 200 tonnes of cocaine.
Based in Key West, Florida, JIATF South works with law enforcement partners as well as international allies to co-ordinate surveillance of air and sea traffic. It’s a constant challenge to stay ahead of the methods smugglers devise to escape detection.
One of the latest tactics employed by smugglers involves the use of self-propelled semi-submersible watercraft, which can maintain a low profile. On January 15, 2009, a Canadian Forces CP-140 Aurora helped spot one of these vessels in international waters off the northwest coast of South America. Onboard the ship was approximately seven tonnes of cocaine, with a potential yield of about $242 million. The vessel’s crew and their illegal cargo were loaded onto a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, and the semi-submersible was sunk to prevent it from becoming a hazard to navigation.
Three weeks later, on February 9, in international waters off the north-eastern coast of South America, in the Caribbean Basin, the Halifax-based frigate HMCS Montréal helped the French warship FV Ventôse intercept a drug smuggler’s “go-fast” boat carrying 600 kilograms of cocaine valued at $30 million. The Ventôse delivered the smugglers and seized drugs to police authorities in Martinique after sinking the go-fast so it would not present a hazard to marine traffic.
In early December 2008, another go-fast proved no match for a Canadian Forces Aurora. The plane’s crew – members of 405 Sqn, 14 Wing Greenwood – spotted the suspicious vessel in the Eastern Pacific. The smugglers dumped 18 bales of marijuana over the side and tried to outrun the airborne Canadians. After marking the location of the abandoned cargo, the Aurora tracked the fleeing go-fast until the U.S Coast Guard caught it.
The success of these missions underscores what Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay has stated: “One of the goals of the Canada First Defence Strategy is for Canada to be a strong and reliable partner in the defence of North America.”
In addition, Operation Caribbe is viewed as helping to support development and refinement of maritime domain awareness capabilities – a key factor in Canada’s ability to meet the security challenges of our hemisphere and ensure our maritime security.
Combined with Canada Command’s domestic co-operation with the RCMP in counter-narcotics operations and with maritime patrols headed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Operation Caribbe is contributing to the fight to destroy the trade in illegal drugs. Taken together, all of these interagency operations work towards Canada Command’s goal of achieving a strong national and continental security architecture.
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