EXTENT OF DRUG ENFORCEMENT EFFORT

It was supposed to be just another busy Labor Day weekend in North
Florida. But in less than 24 hours, Highway Patrol Trooper Richard
Blanco would find himself strapped into the cockpit of an Air Force
cargo jet delivering illegal drugs to New York City.

It was 1993, and Blanco was part of a four-man drug interdiction team
patrolling Interstate 95 near Jacksonville.

About 1:30 Saturday afternoon, one of the officers pulled a U-Haul
truck over for a traffic violation. Blanco and his partner were nearby
and rolled up just as the U-Haul came to a stop.

After the driver and passenger gave conflicting stories, the officers
gained consent to search. Opening the cargo space, they found about $3
million worth of cocaine.

The driver and passenger were arrested and the local office of the
Drug Enforcement Administration was contacted.

Before long, the two couriers agreed to deliver the drugs to New York
City, leading police to the main dealer.

By the time DEA got clearance for the delivery, it was almost
midnight. Even driving straight through, they'd never get there on
time, and that could make the New York dealer suspicious.

So a DEA agent called the Air Force and the Navy to see if either had
an airplane in Jacksonville that could handle the truck.

Blanco couldn't believe it. An airplane?

The best they could find was a C-141 cargo jet -- the second largest
cargo jet in the military -- based at Andrews Air Force Base near
Washington D.C.

They loaded the driver, the passenger and the U-Haul into the plane.
Blanco and his partner rode in the cockpit.

Once they arrived, the trap went off without a hitch. Four people were
arrested, two from Miami and two from New York

In his 19 years of police work, no single event has stuck in Blanco's
head like this one.

``It was unbelievable,'' he says. ``It was a real team
effort.''