Air and Marine Operations, a unit of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in cooperation with the Coast Guard Investigative Service, intercepted 10 bales of suspected cocaine and detained a man from the Dominican Republic near San Juan, Puerto Rico. The incident occurred early Wednesday following reports of suspicious activity involving two vessels off Puerto Rico's coast.
The authorities recovered a total of 789.25 pounds (358 kilograms) of cocaine, with an estimated street value exceeding $5 million. According to officials, on January 28 the Coast Guard Investigative Service was alerted to a trawler towing a domestic barge where witnesses saw several bundles thrown overboard and an individual jumping into the water.
San Juan Marine Interdiction agents responded by deploying a vessel to assist in the search. By 8 a.m., they had recovered the individual from the water. He was identified as a national of the Dominican Republic who did not have legal status in the United States and was subsequently taken into custody.
Marine Interdiction Agents also retrieved the bales of suspected cocaine from both the water and the barge. Both the narcotics and the detained person were transported to San Juan for processing.
The subject and seized drugs were then transferred to Homeland Security Task Force in San Juan for further investigation and legal proceedings.
"U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 67,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We enforce safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust."
