By EFE
08 Jun 2024, 08:31 AM EDT
San Juan – The Coast Guard announced this Friday that it seized a cache of 245 kilograms of cocaine, valued at $7.4 million dollars, and arrested nine alleged traffickers of Venezuelan nationality in Puerto Rico.
The crew of the Coast Guard cutter Charles David Jr. unloaded the 245 kilograms of cocaine in San Juan on this day and placed the nine smugglers in the custody of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The suspicious vessel was located earlier this week 75 nautical miles south of Santa Cruz, in the United States Virgin Islands and close to Puerto Rico.
When the coast guard approached, the boat’s crew, nine men who claimed to be Venezuelan nationals, began throwing multiple packages overboard.
“The efforts of the Coast Guard and all agencies involved in this operation are vital to our mission of safeguarding our communities from the scourge of narcotics,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Denise Foster.
Its strategic location makes Puerto Rico a transshipment point for smuggling illegal drugs from Central and South America, as well as other Caribbean islands, to the United States.
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