More than 1 ton of cocaine seized in Puerto Rico

Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Federal agents seized a cocaine shipment in excess of one ton aboard a ship on its way to Humacao, Puerto Rico.

Customs and Border Patrol and Air and Marine Operations agents stopped the ship southeast of the island, a border patrol press release said. The cocaine shipment carried an estimated street value of about $23.5 million.

The ship was first identified by an AMO Multi-Role Enforcement Aircraft on Friday. During surveillance three people were determined to be on board. A Coastal Interceptor Vessel crew from Fajardo, Puerto Rico, stopped the ship.

The vessel was described as having two outboard engines.

The cocaine shipment was divided into 36 bales. Two of the suspects were non-citizens from the Dominican Republic and the third was a non-citizen from Colombia.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations took the cocaine and suspects into custody.

The Caribbean Sea is a heavily trafficked avenue for illicit drugs, playing a role in violence in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to a report on the Caribbean narcotics trade from the White House.

The State Department considers Puerto Rico and neighboring Dominican Republic "primary destinations" for cocaine being shipped across the Caribbean from South America into the United States.