Cocaine Worth Over $5 Million Offloaded by US Coast Guard in Puerto Rico

The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded 551 pounds or 250 kilos of cocaine in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Tuesday.

According to Sea Power Magazine, the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos offloaded the seized cocaine at Coast Guard Base San Juan.

The contraband was seized following the interdiction of a drug smuggling vessel south of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico by the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Doyle on June 30. Authorities also managed to apprehend three individuals who tried to smuggle the illegal drugs.

Among the arrested smugglers was a Venezuelan, and two were Dominican Republic nationals. The three men are facing federal prosecution in Puerto Rico.

U.S. Coast Guard Seized Cocaine Worth Millions in Puerto Rico

The smugglers were caught in a joint effort between the U.S. Coast Guard and federal law enforcement agencies. MENAFN reported that it is part of multi-agency efforts to support the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force.

The smugglers were captured in the morning of June 30, when the crew of a Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine Multi-Role Enforcement Aircraft (MEA) detected a "yola" type vessel heading towards Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.

The Coast Guard forces then diverted the cutter Joseph Doyle to intercept and capture the vessel. Upon inspection, the Coast Guard found cocaine inside the vessel, seized it, and arrested the three men on board. They then transferred the seized contraband to the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos for delivery to San Juan.

Coast Guard Sector San Juan commander Captain José E. Díaz praised the strong collaboration and efforts of the Coast Guard and their law enforcement partners and vowed to continue their vigilance in stopping drug smuggling to the U.S. territory.

The seized cocaine has an estimated value of approximately $5.2 million. The apprehended smugglers will face criminal charges that include conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance aboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S.

The charges carry a minimum 10-year imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Another Cocaine Shipment Intercepted by U.S. Coast Guard in Puerto Rico

The interception of the illegal drugs last June 30 is just the latest in a series of drug interceptions done by the U.S. Coast Guard off Puerto Rico. Last April, they had an even bigger catch, as they hauled in 1,289 pounds of cocaine and captured six smugglers.

The Coast Guard's official publication, Sea Power Magazine, reported that the April interdiction seized cocaine with an estimated wholesale value of approximately $11.7 million.

Like this most recent one, the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos was also at the scene. The smugglers were intercepted during a routine patrol last April 11.

Coast Guard elements were alerted after a Customs and Border Protection multi-role enforcement aircraft sighted the vessel in waters northwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

Coast Guard Cutter Heriberto Hernandez managed to capture the 25-foot go-fast vessel. In this operation, four of the six captured men were from the Dominican Republic.

After inspecting the vessel, authorities found six bales of cocaine that were also later offloaded in San Juan.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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