Cocaine worth more than $30 million was seized after U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (AMO) intercepted a vessel off the coast of Puerto Rico.
Agents discovered 60 bales of cocaine, weighing 3,687 pounds, on board near the southern coast of the island of Vieques on September 4. The estimated street value is thought to be $33 million, according to the CBP.
Early Wednesday morning, a team of AMO Marine Interdiction agents spotted a vessel operating without lights near the southern coast of Vieques.
Cocaine is prepared for use and, inset, a photo from the drug bust near the southern coast of the island of Vieques. The haul weighed 3,687 pounds and had a value of $33 million.
AP
When the agents activated their blue lights and siren, the occupants deliberately ran the vessel aground on the shoreline.
The suspects on board fled to a nearby brushy area after spotting approaching officers who recovered the boat from the shallow waters and towed it to the Fajardo Marine Unit.
It was only then that officers discovered the massive haul of drugs.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) confiscated the contraband and the vessel as further investigations remain ongoing.
“Through the dedication and precision of our CBP Air and Marine Operations agents, over 3,000 pounds of cocaine were intercepted, effectively stopping these harmful drugs from reaching our communities,” said Christopher Hunter, Director of Air and Marine Operations in the Caribbean.
Cocaine after sale with a rolled up note, ready for use. U.S. agents have kept more than 50,000 pounds of the drug off the streets in 2024.
Steve Parsons/EMPPL PA Wire
“This operation highlights our relentless commitment to border security and the protection of our citizens from the dangers of illicit narcotics.”
In another raid on the same day, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, in coordination with the Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces for Rapid Action (FURA), seized cocaine worth more than $5 million after intercepting a vessel off the coast of Puerto Rico.
In August, Border Patrol agents made several cocaine seizures, including a haul worth $6 million found on an intercepted vessel off the coast of Puerto Rico.
Eleven bales of cocaine, weighing more than 660 pounds, were confiscated, while two citizens of the Dominican Republic were arrested.
(CBP) officers have seized over $4 million worth of cocaine hidden behind a “false wall” in a tractor-trailer at the U.S.-Canada border.
In Fiscal Year 2023, AMO enforcement operations led to 1,004 arrests and 89,909 apprehensions of undocumented individuals, along with the seizure or disruption of 256,883 pounds of cocaine, 2,049 pounds of fentanyl, 4,050 pounds of methamphetamine, 2,200 weapons, and $15.3 million in cash.
Over 53,783 pounds of cocaine have been seized nationwide in Fiscal Year 2024, according to CBP data.
Law enforcement officials at the U.S.-Mexico border seized 24,152 pounds of cocaine overall in the Southwest border in the 2023-2024 fiscal year as of July 2024.
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