U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Government Website

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Safely connect using HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Leadership
  3. Eric Gough

Eric Gough

Border Patrol Agent, CBP Harper’s Ferry, WV

On a 16-month deployment in Afghanistan, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Supervisory Border Patrol Agent/Firearms Program Specialist Eric Gough worked with Border Management Task Force (BMTF) and International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) to oversee the mentoring, advising and instruction of basic customs and border skills to Afghan Border Police and Afghan Customs Department officials in both Eastern and Western Afghanistan. This training included how to properly access border security and infrastructure at the land borders, the Ports of Entry and Inland Customs Depots, as well as how to safely search individuals, recognize vulnerabilities at the ports of entry, customs law, how to conduct proper customs examinations and how to conduct proper interdictions. 

While working with the new security forces in Afghanistan, Agent Gough taught basic skills for customs and border enforcement, such as searching individuals safely, recognizing dangers around ports of entry, and how to conduct proper interdictions. Agent Gough oversaw the Firearms training that CBP and BMTF Team provided to the Afghan national Mobile Enforcement Team (MET).  The MET monitors shipments entering illegally across the border, working with local customs officers from the initial stop all the way to final processing of illegal shipments. Because of these efforts, Afghan Customs Department and Border Police were able to properly enforce customs regulations, leading to an increase in revenue for the border province of Herat by 98%. 

Agent Gough and his BMTF Team’s training lead to several successful, independent seizures of illegal goods at border stations across the country, and the development of established Customs and Border teams within the Afghan Police. 

CBP is the largest uniformed, federal law enforcement agency in the country. As the guardians of America’s borders, CBP is responsible for securing America’s borders against threats while facilitating legal travel, trade, and immigration.

Last Updated: 11/22/2021
Was this page helpful?
This page was not helpful because the content