Two Coast Guardsmen stand guard next to bales of cocaine after four U.S. Coast Guard Cutters participated in an operation which netted 19.5 tons of cocaine and 5.5 tons of marijuana at 32nd Street Navel Station in San Diego, Calif., March 2002. File photo by Earl S. Cryer/UPI |
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April 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Monday said the federal agency had seized over $5 million worth of cocaine in Puerto Rico on Thursday.
Thursday's find by agents of CBP's Air and Marine Operations along with the Puerto Rico Police Department came at around 8:20 p.m. local time when a boat interceptor attempted to stop a 25-foot buddy cabin vessel heading to the seaside town of Isabel Segunda -- English for "Isabel the Second" -- on the island of Vieques to Puerto Rico's right side.
After ignoring requests to stop, the operator of the suspected 25-foot-boat ran it aground near a lighthouse and proceeded to abandon it.
Officials located over 485 pounds -- or 22 Kilograms -- of narcotics valued at approximately $5.4 million.
Agents found 194 bricks of cocaine in three large suitcases on the boat's deck, a smaller duffel bag and a separate gym bag with bricks that tested positive for traces of cocaine.
The head of CBP's Air and Marine Operations in the Caribbean said he was "extremely proud of the passion exercised by our agents to patrol our borders every day to help keep us all safe."
"Air and Marine Operations agents remain committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to intercept these dangerous drugs to keep them from destroying our communities," Creighton Skeen, the acting director, said in a release.
No arrests have so far been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The region of Puerto Rico is known to be a hotbed of ongoing illicit activity. In January, over one ton of cocaine with an estimated street value of about $23.5 million got taken by federal agents on the way to Humacao. A month later, three people in February were arrested when CBP seized 384 pounds of cocaine worth over $4 million.
In March the month before, the U.S. Coast Guard and British sailors had also seized 6,000 pounds of cocaine in Caribbean Sea worth at least $280 million.
In 2023, AMO had seized or disrupted the delivery of 256,883 pounds of cocaine, 2,049 pounds of fentanyl, 4,050 pounds of methamphetamine, 2,200 weapons and $15.3 million.
They also made 1,004 arrests, 89,909 apprehensions of undocumented individuals, according to the federal government.
