US Coast Guard offloads US$10.2 million in cocaine seized in Caribbean Sea

Nine hundred pounds of cocaine was offloaded on a vessel en route to San Juan recently.

The drugs were seized through a joint operation between the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier and Caribbean Corridor Strike Force.

The US Coast Guard said three men were apprehended in the Caribbean Sea on board the vessel. They were all from the Dominican Republic.

Some of their charges include conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance aboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

According to reports, during a patrol, the aircrew of a Coast Guard maritime patrol aircraft detected a suspect go-fast vessel north of Puerto Rico.

The US Coast Guard said “Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Juan diverted the cutter Joseph Napier that arrived on the scene in pursuit and stopped the 30-foot blue and white go-fast vessel, apprehended three men and recovered 12 bales of suspected contraband that tested positive for cocaine,”

Meanwhile, Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier commanding officer DeVonte Weems said “I’m extremely proud of our crew, especially the pursuit team, for their tactical proficiency and resiliency in stopping this drug-smuggling vessel from entering Puerto Rico… “It was a great team effort with seamless coordination between Coast Guard surface, aerial, and shoreside units that resulted in a successful interdiction.”

The prosecution’s case is being led by the Transnational Organized Crime Division of the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico while special agents supporting the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force are leading the investigation.