U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents seized 1,155 pounds of cocaine worth approximately $15 million south of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico—just two days after another vessel carrying 18 pounds of cocaine was found near Rincón.
CPB’s Air and Marine Operations (AMO) intercepted a vessel shortly before midnight Tuesday in western Puerto Rico and arrested three Dominican nationals who lacked proper documentation to enter or remain in the U.S.
The 30-foot yola-type boat, equipped with outboard engines, was heading north about 22 miles south of Cabo Rojo with three people on board. AMO’s Coastal Interceptor vessel, backed by a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, carried out the operation.
The FBI took custody of the three individuals and a rifle found on the vessel. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) took over the seized narcotics.
“This successful interdiction highlights the critical role maritime domain awareness plays in securing our nation’s borders,” said Creighton Skeen, deputy director of Air and Marine Operations in the Caribbean. “Our teams are committed to protecting the homeland by stopping drug trafficking before they reach U.S. shores.”
On Sunday, CBP’s Caribbean AMO detected a suspicious vessel roughly 3 nautical miles southwest of Black Eagle Beach in Rincón. The 22-foot white boat, powered by a 60-horsepower engine, had been beached along the shoreline.
The Ramey Sector—covering Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands—is the only Border Patrol Sector outside the continental U.S. It spans 6,000 square miles of land and water.
