Yuma, AZ — Last week, Air and Marine Operations (AMO) Yuma Air Branch aircrews and Ajo Station Border Patrol agents in the Mesquite Mountain region of Southwest Arizona.
A Yuma Air Branch EC120 crew conducting an aerial patrol spotted a man who appeared to be in distress. Upon landing, an agent learned that the undocumented migrant had been left behind by a group because he could not keep up due to a foot injury.
The rugged terrain required the crew to request assistance to transport the man from the mountaintop. A Yuma-based AS350 crew with an Air and Marine Emergency Medical Service (AMEMS)-qualified agent on board responded and delivered the man to the road where he was transferred into the custody of Ajo Station Border Patrol agents.
“Because of the intense heat and potential for dehydration, the challenging terrain, and the injuries the man sustained, the stranded man would not have survived without the rescue efforts of the Yuma Air Branch aircrews and our Tucson Sector Border Patrol partners,” said Supervisory Air and Marine Agent, Isidro Linares.
In Fiscal Year 2020, AMO enforcement actions resulted in the seizure or disruption of more than 194,000 pounds of cocaine, over 278,000 pounds of marijuana, nearly 16,000 pounds of methamphetamine, and almost 1,000 weapons. In addition, AMO seized $51.5 million in unreported currency as well as 1,066 arrests and nearly 48,000 apprehensions of undocumented migrants.