U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents seized over 500 pounds of cocaine on Sunday in a maritime interdiction near Black Eagle Beach, Rincón. The seizure, valued at approximately $4.2 million, was the result of a coordinated effort by CBP’s Air and Marine Operations (AMO) and the U.S. Border Patrol.
On June 21, a Caribbean-based AMO surveillance unit detected a suspicious vessel approximately three nautical miles southwest of Black Eagle Beach, along the U.S. territorial coast. Border Patrol agents from the Ramey Sector were deployed to investigate.
Upon reaching the scene, agents discovered a 22-foot white vessel with a 60-horsepower engine beached along the shoreline. Inside, authorities found eight bales of cocaine totaling 518 pounds (235 kilograms). The narcotics were seized by Border Patrol and later transferred to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for further processing.
According to CBP, AMO’s mission is to anticipate and confront national security threats through its aviation and maritime law enforcement operations. The agency conducts these operations across the United States, including its territories such as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
The response team was led by the Ramey Sector, the only U.S. Border Patrol sector located outside the continental United States. This sector is responsible for more than 6,000 square miles of land and coastal waters surrounding the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, all of which fall under the definition of the U.S. territorial coast.
Officials have not yet released information on potential arrests connected to the seizure, and the investigation remains active.
British Caribbean News
