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# VP-4 Assists in Counter Drug Operations: U.S. 4th Fleet

By Petty Officer 2nd Class Juan Sua, Patrol Squadron 4

COMALAPA, EL SALVADOR - Sailors assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 4, currently forward deployed to Cooperative Security Location (CSL), El Salvador work in unison with the U.S. Coast Guard and local forces to counter drug operations within the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations.

VP-4, operating out of CSL since October 2019, has flown 353 operational hours in the P-8A Poseidon multi-mission aircraft and have assisted in the seizure of 11,316 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of $792,120,000.

“The men and women of VP-4 have helped made the United States a safer place to live,” said Rear Adm. Pete Garvin, commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group. “These illicit narcotics will never make it into our homes, schools, or communities.”

Utilizing the Navy’s latest intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, the P-8A crews play an important role in drug interdiction operations by providing an eye in the sky. Crew members are able to identify contacts of interest with advanced radars and vector in assets from the U.S. Coast Guard and other Latin American partners.

VP-4, currently forward deployed to the U.S. 4th Fleet supports U.S. Southern Command's joint and combined military operations by employing maritime forces in cooperative maritime security operations in order to maintain access, enhance interoperability, and build enduring partnerships in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.

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Patrol Squadron (VP) 4El SalvadorCooperative Security Locationillicit traffickingCounterdrugcocaine