The OCDETF is based in Tampa, Florida, and focuses primarily on interrupting cocaine shipments en route from South America—especially Colombia.
On September 13, 2008, the U.S. Coast Guard captured a narco submarine carrying approximately seven tons of cocaine, located about 563 kilometres (350 mi) west of Guatemala.
[1] The 59-foot-long, steel and fiberglass craft was detected by a U.S. Navy aircraft as part of Operation Panama Express.
The most notable individual arrested as a result of Operation Panama Express is Colombian Cali cartel kingpin Joaquin Mario Valencia-Trujillo.
The lead witness in Valencia's trial was Jose Castrillon-Henao, a former Cali cartel maritime smuggling chief who became an FBI informant in 1999.