The drug runners in their Barons and C402's would have out-run them with ease.
Back then, the drug runners preferred the "cigarette" boats and I believe the Searchmasters were very effective in helping to put them out of business. I'd heard that the USCS was quite happy with them. Two had a mid-air while fleeing a hurricane - from memory they were flying "together", seems to me that neither knew who was the leader and one ran into the other.