The U.S. Coast Guard recently thwarted a significant drug trafficking operation, intercepting a boat near Puerto Rico with an estimated cargo value exceeding $50 million in cocaine.
Officials reported to News Media that more than 7,000 pounds of the illegal substance were seized from the vessel situated approximately 50 miles from the U.S. territory’s shoreline.
On Saturday, August 22, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon, aided by Customs and Border Protection air and marine crews, successfully stopped the suspected boat involved in smuggling activities.
The recent seizure amounted to more than 7,000 pounds of cocaine, confiscated off Puerto Rico’s coast, according to the Coast Guard. (U.S. Coast Guard)
FEDS APPREHEND $6.4M IN COCAINE ON AN OIL TANKER AT LOS ANGELES PORT, DETAIN ALLEGED CARTEL SMUGGLER
An estimated 7,250 pounds of cocaine was seized, worth about $54.5 million.
Five people on the alleged smuggling boat were detained and taken into custody in the investigation.
Five people were detained as a result of the bust as the investigation remains active. (U.S. Coast Guard)
MORE STORY: Leah Remini Joins ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ for Season 16
The Coast Guard destroyed the boat as it “posed a hazard to navigation,” the agency said.
The Coast Guard destroyed the suspected smuggling boat as it posed a navigational hazard, the agency said. (U.S. Coast Guard)
In a statement, Lieutenant Commander Michael D. Torgesen said: “An outstanding team effort thanks to seamless coordination with Coast Guard and CBP [Customs and Border Protection] air assets, cutter Richard Dixon was in the right place at the right time to stop a major shipment. I’m constantly humbled by my crew’s dedication and am proud to serve alongside them as we strike a direct blow against transnational smuggling operations and protect the nation’s maritime borders in the Caribbean.”
The Coast Guard broke up the suspected smuggling operation. (U.S. Coast Guard)
Coast Guard Southeast District Commander Admiral Adam Chamie said, “This interdiction shows what ready crews and strong interagency partnerships can achieve in the maritime domain.”
The Coast Guard has yet to announce charges in the operation.
CBP OFFICERS SEIZE $67 MILLION IN ILLEGAL DRUGS AT SAN DIEGO BORDER PORTS, DHS SAYS
The cocaine bust announcement follows another development this week as the agency reached a milestone in which more than 75,000 pounds of illicit narcotics, valued at $473 million, were offloaded in Port Everglades in Miami, Florida, on Monday.