Coast Guard Seizes $829K in Cocaine, Hands Over 9 Suspects to DEA in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — On Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier successfully transferred custody of 79 kilograms of cocaine, valued at approximately $829,000, and nine suspects to federal authorities in Puerto Rico. The operation is a significant achievement in the ongoing multi-agency efforts to combat drug trafficking in the Caribbean region.

The interdiction was a coordinated effort under the Coast Guard’s Western Hemisphere Strategy, involving the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force Initiative and Operation Unified Resolve. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in collaboration with the Coast Guard Investigative Service and Homeland Security Investigations, is leading the investigation.

The operation began in the early hours of August 5, 2024, when a Customs and Border Protection multirole enforcement aircraft detected a suspicious vessel approximately 67 nautical miles north of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. A Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft maintained surveillance as the Cutter Joseph Napier approached the area. Upon arrival, the crew observed the vessel’s occupants jettisoning multiple packages overboard before halting. The crew recovered three bales of jettisoned cargo, which tested positive for cocaine, and detained eight men and one woman, all claiming Dominican Republic nationality.

The suspects and the seized contraband were transported to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where they were handed over to DEA, Coast Guard Investigative Service, and Homeland Security Investigations agents.

Commander Matthew Romano, Chief of Response for Sector San Juan, praised the successful outcome, attributing it to the seamless coordination between the Coast Guard and its partner agencies. “Our interagency efforts are critical to protecting the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from this threat, safeguarding the security and stability of the Caribbean region,” Romano stated.

DEA Caribbean Division Special Agent in Charge, Denise Foster, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to justice, declaring, “Together, with unwavering determination and steadfast collaboration, we will dismantle the networks of crime that threaten our communities and tarnish the fabric of our society.”

This operation forms part of the broader efforts under Operation Unified Resolve and Operation Caribbean Guard, initiatives designed to deter, detect, and disrupt illicit maritime trafficking to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Caribbean Corridor Strike Force continues to play a vital role in dismantling major drug trafficking organizations operating in the region, contributing to the security and stability of the Caribbean and beyond.