Coast Guard, CBIG, DEA authorities
seize $30 million in cocaine, apprehend 3 suspected smugglers from go-fast in
the Eastern Caribbean
The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos offloaded
2,606 pounds of cocaine and transferred custody of three suspected smugglers
Friday to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agents in St. Thomas
U.S. Virgin Islands.
Coast Guard and Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG)
law enforcement authorities seized the $30 million cocaine shipment and
apprehended the suspected smugglers, following the interdiction of a go-fast
vessel Tuesday morning in international waters off Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Virgin Islands.
This interdiction is the result of ongoing multi-agency law
enforcement efforts in support of Operations Full Court Press, Operation
Caribbean Guard and the Caribbean Border Interagency Group.
The suspected smugglers are facing likely federal
prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of the U.S. Virgin
Islands.
“This case was a team effort and perfect example of
Caribbean Border Interagency Group partners working in coordination with Joint
Interagency Task Force – East to protect the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Virgin Islands,” said Lt. Cmdr. Mario Gil, commanding officer of the Coast
Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos. “This case involved a high speed chase of
over 10 hours in challenging weather conditions that was possible thanks to the
tenacity and persistence of the Tezano’s crew and of our partners, who are
proud to have completed the mission and prevented a large quantity of drugs
from reaching the streets.”
While on a routine patrol, the crew of a HC-144 Ocean Sentry
aircraft from Air Station Miami detected a suspicious go-fast vessel Monday
afternoon transiting with three people onboard, approximately 65 nautical miles
north of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Upon sunset, the go-fast continued to
transit in the dark without the use of navigational lights.
Coast Guard Watchstanders in Sector San Juan alerted CBIG
partner agencies of the developing situation, and diverted the Coast Guard
Cutters Joseph Tezanos and Thetis to interdict the suspect vessel. The
crews of two Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine Branch
maritime patrol aircrafts also responded and supported the interdiction by
maintaining aerial surveillance of the go-fast.
Throughout the multi-hour pursuit, the Coast Guard and CBP
aircrews vectored-in the cutter Joseph Tezanos to the go-fast’s position.
Once on scene, the Tezanos remained in hot pursuit of the go-fast, as the crew
launched the cutter’s Over the Horizon Boat IV that closed-in and interdicted
the go-fast, approximately 95 miles nautical miles northeast of St. Thomas,
U.S. Virgin Islands. The three suspects onboard the go-fast claimed to be
Dominican Republic nationals. The Tezanos boat crew located 52 bales of
suspected contraband aboard the go-fast that a field test yielded positive
results for cocaine. The Tezanos crew apprehended and embarked the suspected
smugglers along with the seized contraband.
The go-fast was later destroyed as a hazard to navigation.
The suspected smugglers and seized contraband where
transported to Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, where they were transferred
to the custody of DEA Special Agents, who are leading the investigation into
this case.
Operation Full Court Press joins interdiction assets from
Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (CBP AMO), Coast
Guard, and Department of Defense (DoD) with intelligence and
investigative information from Panama Express North Strike Force
(PANEX-N), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security
Investigations (ICE HSI), in coordination with Joint Interagency Task Force South
(JIATF-South), to disrupt Transnational Criminal Organizations within the
maritime approaches to the Southeastern United States. Joint Task Force-East
leads the coordination of integrated and prioritized DHS joint operations and
investigations by leveraging DHS component, interagency, and partner nation
capabilities while focusing on unity of effort.
Operation Caribbean Guard is a Department of Homeland
Security multi-agency law enforcement operation to support ongoing efforts in
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands executed under the San Juan Regional
Coordinating Mechanism (SJ ReCoM)/Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG).
CBIG unifies efforts between U.S. Customs and Border
Protection, the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the
United States Attorney's Office for the District of Puerto Rico, and Puerto
Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action, in their common goal of securing the
borders of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands against illegal migrant and
drug smuggling.
The cutter Joseph Tezanos is a 154-foot Fast Response
Cutter homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico, while the cutter Thetis is a
270-foot Medium Endurance Cutter homeported in Key West, Fla.