The U.S. Coast Guard, British Royal Navy and U.S. law enforcement partners seized 1,500 pounds, or 680 kilograms, of cocaine and a go-fast vessel, detaining three suspected smugglers during an at-sea interdiction Friday in the Caribbean, according to Coast Guard Public Affairs Officer Ricardo Castrodad.
The drug shipment is estimated to have a wholesale value of more than $24 million.
According to the announcement released Wednesday, the interdiction was a result of an international, multiagency law enforcement effort in support of Operation Unified Resolve, Operation Caribbean Guard, Operation Martillo (a joint, interagency, 15-nation collaborative counter narcotic effort), and the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force.
The crew of a patrolling U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft detected a suspicious 30-foot go-fast vessel Friday afternoon. According to the Coast Guard, the vessel was carrying three suspected smugglers, who used a tarp to conceal their position.
Watchstanders in San Juan diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Sapelo to interdict the suspect vessel, while the Royal Navy’s HMS Lancaster frigate, on patrol in the Caribbean Sea with a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment onboard, also responded.
The aircraft maintained surveillance of the vessel as the Lancaster arrived on scene.
Once on scene, the Lancaster launched its Lynx helicopter and high-speed pursuit boat to interdict the go-fast.
The suspected smugglers jettisoned a package overboard that was recovered by the Lancaster’s boat crew. The suspected smugglers surrendered as the Lancaster pursuit boat came alongside their boat.
A Coast Guard boarding team, with the assistance of Lancaster crew members, boarded the suspect vessel, detained the three men and seized 22 bales of suspected contraband. A test revealed the suspected contraband to be cocaine, according to the Coast Guard’s announcement.
The crew of the Lancaster embarked the detainees and contraband. They were later transferred to Sapelo for transport to Puerto Rico.
The crew of Sapelo transferred the detainees and the cocaine to Customs and Border Protection officers, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations, and Drug Enforcement Administration special agents in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Sunday.
“These arrests and multi-kilogram seizure are a clear indication of the success of the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force Initiative,” said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
“Along with our domestic and international law enforcement partners, we will continue to bring our resources to bear to ensure that drug traffickers and their associates are brought to justice for the damage they inflict on our communities," she said.
Since September 2012, the Coast Guard has seized more than 45,000 pounds, or 20,500 kilograms, of cocaine and 8,500 pounds of marijuana during 22 law enforcement interdictions under Operation Unified Resolve, in partnership with regional law enforcement authorities in the Caribbean. The wholesale value for these seizures is worth more than $690 million, the Coast Guard said.
The Coast Guard Cutter Sapelo is a 110-foot island class patrol boat home-ported in San Juan. The HMS Lancaster is a British Royal Navy Duke-class Type 23 frigate, which has played a primary role in major drugs seizures in the Caribbean.
“Our collective aggressive efforts involving international, federal and local enforcement authorities continue to yield positive results,” said Rear Adm. Jake Korn, commander of the Coast Guard Seventh District. “We stand united in our unwavering commitment to protect the citizens of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from the threats that come from the sea by interdicting these major drug shipments as far from shore as possible and bringing those responsible to justice.”
