Operation Caribbe is the
Canadian Armed Forces
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The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
...
contribution to the elimination of illegal trafficking in the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
and the eastern
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
by organized crime. The operation began in 2006 and its mandate has been altered twice since then.
History
In 2005, Canada agreed to send
CP-140 Aurora
The Lockheed CP-140 Aurora is a patrol aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force. The aircraft is based on the Lockheed P-3 Orion airframe, but mounts the electronics suite of the Lockheed S-3 Viking. Aurora ( ...
aircraft for maritime detection purposes in the Caribbean Sea.
[Tracy, p. 285] Operation Caribbe began in November 2006. In October 2010 the mission was expanded with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Canada and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
that allowed
law enforcement detachments
Law Enforcement Detachments or LEDETs are specialized, deployable maritime law enforcement teams of the United States Coast Guard. First established in 1982, their primary mission is to deploy aboard U.S. and allied naval vessels to conduct and ...
from the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
to operate from Canadian warships deployed on Operation Caribbe.
In January 2012, Operation Caribbe was folded into the umbrella operation,
Operation Martillo
Operation Martillo is an ongoing multi-national anti-drug operation that began on 15 January 2012, and "aims to combat international drug trafficking, and promote peace, stability in Central and South America", according to the U.S. Southern Comm ...
, which is a joint multinational effort led by the United States to eliminate illicit trafficking in the Caribbean Sea, the eastern Pacific Ocean and the coastal areas of the Central American nations.
[
]
Command structure
Subject to the operational command of Operation Martillo, any forces assigned to Operation Caribbe are under the operational direction of the United States Southern Command
The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral, Florida, Doral, Florida in Greater Miami, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingen ...
's Joint Interagency Task Force South
Joint Interagency Task Force South is a United States multiservice, multiagency task force based at Naval Air Station Key West (Truman Annex), Key West, Florida.
It conducts counter illicit trafficking operations, intelligence fusion and multi-s ...
. For the Canadian Armed Forces, nation command is maintained by the Canadian Joint Operations Command
The Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC; french: links=no, Commandement des opérations interarmées du Canada) is one of the two unified commands of the Canadian Armed Forces, the other one being the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command ...
. The Canadian forces deployed to Operation Caribbe thus far have been warships from the Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...
and CP-140 Auroras and crew from the Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
.[
]
Mission
Canadian warships deployed on Operation Caribbe work in a support role, locating and tracking any vessels or targets of interest. Unless provided with law enforcement officers from the United States Coast Guard, the Canadian warships do not participate in the interdiction of those targets. The CP-140 Aurora aircraft and their crews patrol in international airspace over the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
and the eastern Pacific Ocean to track targets of interest. They do not participate in the interdiction of suspicious targets.[
]
Results
In 2009, and were deployed to the Caribbean Sea.[
In 2010, the Royal Canadian Navy vessels , , ''Toronto'' and were deployed. The warships intercepted more than 29 metric tons of illegal drugs.][
In 2011, ''Algonquin'', , ''Toronto'', , , , , , and seven CP-140 Auroras were deployed. ''St. John's'' aided in recovering of cocaine from a scuttled vessel. ''Toronto'' handed over a small boat to the ]Nicaraguan Navy
The Nicaraguan Navy, officially the Naval Force of the Nicaraguan Army, ( es, Fuerza Naval del Ejercito de Nicaragua) is the naval service branch of the Nicaraguan Armed Forces. The navy's mission is to ensure the defense and security of the is ...
which contained 68 bales of cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
.[
In 2012, , , ''Goose Bay'', ''Kingston'', and CP-140 Aurora aircraft on five occasions were deployed. On 28 November 2012 ''Ottawa'' supported United States law enforcement personnel in boarding a suspicious fishing vessel. The boarding resulted in the seizure of 36 bales of cocaine weighing 1086 kilograms. Between 18 and 29 November, CP-140 Aurora crews assisted in the seizure, through surveillance and detection, of 144 bales of cocaine weighing .][
In 2013, ''Ottawa'', , ''Kingston'', ''Summerside'', , , , ''Preserver'' and four CP-140 Aurora aircraft and crew were deployed.] Canadian participation resulted in the assistance of seizing of illegal drugs during the year.[
In 2014, ''Kingston'', , , and a CP-140 Aurora and crew have been deployed.] ''Kingston'' and ''Glace Bay'' completed their six-week deployments and returned to Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...
in April 2014. While returning from the operation, ''Kingston'' had a small fire aboard, which was dealt with and no casualties were incurred. The operation resulted in the interception of of cocaine.
''Summerside'' joined Operation Caribbe in June. Beginning in September, ''Athabaskan'' joined the operation. On 1 October, the destroyer participated in the seizure of of cocaine valued at $24.5 million.
In January 2015, deployed to the eastern Pacific Ocean as part of the operation. As of 25 February, four vessels were deployed to the Caribbean; ''Whitehorse'', ''Nanaimo'', ''Goose Bay'' and ''Moncton''. In March 2015, as part of Operation Caribbe, ''Goose Bay'' and the US frigate along with ''Shawinigan'', intercepted a vessel in the Caribbean Sea carrying of cocaine. In early March 2015, ''Whitehorse'', in conjunction with the US Navy and the US Coast Guard, intercepted a freighter in international waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean that led to the seizure of of cocaine. On 10 March, ''Nanaimo'' came across fifty packets of cocaine floating in the ocean. ''Athabaskan'' sailed for the Caribbean on 16 April to take part in Operation Caribbe.
In October 2015, deployed with ''Whitehorse'' off the Pacific coast of North America as part of Operation Caribbe. During their deployment, ''Brandon'' performed two seizures of smuggling vessels and ''Whitehorse'' one. In total, seven seizures were performed interdicting a total of nearly of cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
. The two ships returned to Canada in December.
In January 2016, ''Summerside'' and ''Moncton'' were ordered to the Caribbean as part of Operation Caribbe. In February they were joined by ''Edmonton'' and . On 25 March, in conjunction with the United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
, ''Edmonton'' intercepted drug smugglers in international waters off the coast of Central America. After being stopped the smuggling vessel attempted to dump its cargo overboard. ''Edmonton'', working with a United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
detachment, recovered 27 bales of cocaine equaling . ''Saskatoon'' moved to intercept a smuggling vessel the same day that had been reported by patrol aircraft. The boat was not found, however, ''Saskatoon'' recovered sixteen bales of cocaine totaling .
''Nanaimo'' departed Esquimalt on 28 September 2017 and sailed to San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, California to embark a United States Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) before beginning patrols associated with Operation Caribbe in the Eastern Pacific. On 31 October, ''Nanaimo'' intercepted a suspect vessel and her LEDET unit boarded the boat, seizing of cocaine. ''Nanaimo'' intercepted a further of cocaine in the following weeks. In November, ''Moncton'' was in the Caribbean to take part in Operation Caribbe. On 11 November, ''Moncton'' intercepted a suspect vessel, and her embarked United States Coast Guard LEDET unit boarded the vessel, seizing of illegal cocaine.
In 2018, ''Edmonton'' and ''Whitehorse'' deployed south into the eastern Pacific Ocean as part of Operation Caribbe. The two ships participated in the intercept and seizure of of illegal drugs. ''Edmonton'' and ''Whitehorse'' returned to Esquimalt on 3 May. In mid-2018, it was reported that detainees taken aboard Canadian ships while under U.S. control were mistreated after being transferred aboard United States Coast Guard vessels before they arrived on shore.
In 2019, ''Whitehorse'' and both deployed to the Pacific as part of Operation Caribbe. The two ships returned to Esquimalt on 16 May, having participated in the interception of of cocaine and of illicit marijuana.
References
Sources
* {{cite book , last=Tracy , first=Nicholas , date=2012 , title=A Two-Edged Sword: The Navy as an Instrument of Canadian Foreign Policy , publisher=McGill-Queens University Press , location=Montreal, Quebec and Kingston, Ontario , isbn=978-0-7735-4051-4
Caribbe
Canada–Caribbean relations