Normal practice for the Customs Service is that once a radar plane locates a suspicious plane in flight, it radios for a Citation, a smaller plane that can fly at low speeds, to observe the target visually. Both the radar plane and the observation plane carry a representative from the host country, said Mr. Murphy, who communicates directly with the air force of the country involved. The official said that the downed plane was flying in northern Peru near the Colombia border, flying from Leticia, Colombia, toward Iquitos, Peru. Colombia has long been a major source of cocaine and other drugs reaching the United States, prompting the United States surveillance flights in the region. This is a United States government program in which a number of U.S. agencies are involved, including the State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, the Drug Enforcement Administration and others.
Peruvian authorities are responsible for identifying the aircraft and deciding on any action.
We are working closely with Peruvian authorities to determine exactly how this tragic incident took place. I will wait to see all the facts before I reach any conclusions about blame.