Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Coast Guard have intercepted a drug-trafficking vessel loaded with more than 2,645 pounds of cocaine, worth tens of millions of dollars, in the Caribbean Sea.
The CBP released the information about the September 18 bust in a statement today which indicated that officials used real-time surveillance systems to detect the suspicious go-fast vessel in international waters south of Puerto Rico, and surveillance was maintained by air before the boat was intercepted after the smugglings initially tried to evade capture.
Law enforcement discovered dozens of wrapped packages under a blue tarp onboard, containing more than a ton of cocaine.
Three people on the boat were arrested.
“This recent maritime interdiction serves as a perfect example of the unified effort between U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations and the U.S. Coast Guard in disrupting the flow of narcotics destined for the United States while focusing its efforts on dismantling transnational criminal organizations,” said Southeast Region Air and Marine Operations Deputy Director Jesse Wozniak.
“We greatly value our partnerships and will continue to apply advanced aeronautical and maritime capabilities to counter smuggling threats in the region.”
With more than 2,000 miles of border, the CBP said, the sheer amount of area covered in the Southeast Region makes aircraft coupled with surface interdiction assets and ground agents a force multiplier to effectively counter all threats.
Threats include combined aerial and maritime smuggling effort originating from the Yucatan and the Caribbean islands, such as Jamaica and Hispaniola, proceeding to
islands in the southern Bahamas and Florida’s western coast that moves the contraband to the United States.
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