The Coast Guard and U.S. law enforcement partners seized 2,546 pounds of cocaine with an estimated wholesale value of $34 million and a "go-fast" vessel, meanwhile detaining three suspected smugglers, during an at-sea interdiction Friday in the Caribbean Sea south of St. Croix, the Coast Guard announced Wednesday.
The Caribbean Corridor Strike Force is leading a criminal investigation into the case, the news release said.
According to the release, a Coast Guard patrol airplane crew from Miami detected a suspicious 30-foot "go-fast" vessel late Thursday night. The vessel was spotted carrying three suspected smugglers and what appeared to be multiple bales of suspected contraband.
Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Juan diverted a Coast Guard 33-foot special purpose craft pursuit boat from Boat Station San Juan and the Coast Guard Cutter Drummond to interdict the suspect vessel.
The Coast Guard collaborated with Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations and Border Patrol on the requirements used in the procurement of a special purpose craft. A Customs and Border Protection marine unit also responded to the alert.
A CBP marine surveillance aircraft relieved the Coast Guard plane and guided the pursuit boat to interdict the go-fast.
As the Coast Guard came alongside the suspected smuggler Friday morning, the suspected smugglers were compliant, the news release said. The Coast Guard crew boarded the suspect vessel, detained the three men onboard and seized 25 bales of suspected contraband.
The Coast Guard Cutter Drummond arrived on scene shortly thereafter and took the detainees and suspected contraband to Puerto Rico. A test revealed the suspected contraband to be cocaine, the Coast Guard said.
The crew of the Drummond transferred the detainees and the cocaine to Customs officers, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement–Homeland Security Investigations, and Drug Enforcement Administration special agents in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Since Sept. 2012, the Coast Guard and law enforcement agencies operating under Operation Caribbean Guard have seized 27,650 kilograms of cocaine, in partnership with regional law enforcement authorities in the Caribbean, according to the Coast Guard news release.
The wholesale value for these seizures is worth more than $829 million.
“Interdicting drug smugglers at sea in the middle of the night is a complex and dangerous operation only possible through the resolve of federal and regional law enforcement authorities committed to safeguarding Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from the threats that come from the sea,” said Capt. Drew W. Pearson, commander of Coast Guard Sector San Juan.
“We will continue our aggressive patrol efforts with our interagency partners to interdict these major drug shipments as far from shore as possible and bring those responsible to justice,” he said.
Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, said the interdiction was a sign of the success of the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force Initiative.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement counterparts remain committed to using every law enforcement tool available to attack these criminal organizations and ensure that drug traffickers and their associates are brought to justice for the damage they inflict on our communities,” she said.
