Border agents seize $30 million in cocaine in the heart of a resurgent smuggling zone

Agents from the US Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations unit detected a vessel laden with 2,000 pounds of cocaine in the Caribbean early this year, before moving in to seize the ship, four suspects aboard it, and its cargo, which had an estimated value of $30 million.

On January 2, AMO agents on a DHC-8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft spotted a go-fast boat near the Dominican Republic.

The airborne agents worked with the crew of the USS Zephyr to move in on the vessel.

The Zephyr, with a Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment onboard, intercepted the vessel, taking four people on it into custody, and seized multiple bales that tested positive for cocaine.

The operation was part of ongoing multi-agency law-enforcement efforts supporting Operation Unified Resolve and Operation Caribbean Guard.

“Air and Marine Agents engage in complex coordination to detect and stop vessels that attempt to smuggle narcotics through our coastal areas,” Johnny Morales, director of air operations at the CBP Caribbean Air and Marine branch, said in a statement.

The contraband, and the four suspects detained, were transferred to Puerto Rico, where they were taken into custody by Drug Enforcement Administration special agents.

 

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Featured image courtesy of Customs and Border Protection.