Navy officer helps keep drugs out of US

by Megan Mattingly-Arthur | December 13, 2012 12:01 am

Lt. j.g. Adam Huber leads the Visit, Board, Search and Seizure team on the USS Curts to search other watercraft for illegal guns and drugs.

Kinkaid School graduate Adam Huber joined the U.S. Navy after high school because of the college opportunities that military service provides. Now, as a lieutenant junior grade officer serving aboard the frigate USS Curts, Huber plays an important role in the international war on drugs.

Stationed in the waters of the Eastern Pacific, the USS Curts is part of Operation Martillo, a 14-nation effort to prevent the trafficking of cocaine and other narcotics into the United States. The mission began in January 2011 and has since intercepted more than 122,000 kilos of cocaine and 24,000 pounds of marijuana bound for North America. Huber and the USS Curts were directly involved in four of the mission’s busts, or “interdictions.”

Huber leads a specially trained and armed group of soldiers known as the Visit, Board, Search and Seizure team, which, as its name suggests, boards vessels in search of guns and narcotics.

“We go on board these crafts, and we see if they have any guns, drugs or if they’re up to no good,” he said.

His job as boarding officer sounds fast-paced and exciting, with an undeniable element of danger, but fortunately for Huber, he says all of the boarding missions he’s led have been without incident.

Huber is also the assistant operations officer on the USS Curts. In this role, Huber is responsible for the ship’s schedule.

When he’s not leading his boarding team or helping with the ship’s scheduling, Huber enjoys jogging, reading and watching movies. He describes himself as a big fan of director Wes Anderson and lists “Rushmore” among his favorite films.

Huber says he tries to make it back to the Houston area whenever possible and is looking forward to spending his leave here during the Christmas holidays.

“I can’t wait,” he said. “I really can’t wait. I’m going to spend a lot of time in Midtown.”

ABOUT LT. J.G. ADAM HUBER
AGE: 28
OCCUPATION: Navy officer on the USS Curts
COMMUNITY CONNECTION: Graduated from the Kinkaid School in 2003
FAST FACT: Huber is a former two-time state wrestling champion.