{"id":60817,"date":"2018-02-22T19:58:00","date_gmt":"2018-02-22T19:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/?p=60817"},"modified":"2018-02-22T19:58:00","modified_gmt":"2018-02-22T19:58:00","slug":"174-pounds-of-cocaine-seized-by-law-enforcement-from-private-vessel-in-eastern-puerto-rico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=60817","title":{"rendered":"174 Pounds Of Cocaine Seized By Law Enforcement From Private Vessel In Eastern Puerto Rico"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\" lang=\"EN\">U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)\u00a0<span class=\"\"><a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbp.gov\/border-security\/air-sea\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Air and Marine Operations (AMO)<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>agents and Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD) officers collaborated Sunday to seize 174 pounds (<\/span><span class=\"\">78.7\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"\" lang=\"EN\">\u00a0kilos) of cocaine and\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"\">152 cartons of cigarettes found on board a private vessel that was towed out of the water.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"\" lang=\"EN\">\u00a0The estimated value of the seized narcotics is $1.9 million.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\" lang=\"EN\">\u201cThis is the second incident in which our AMO crews have detected smuggling attempts through the eastern coast of the island,\u201d said Johnny Morales, Director of Air Operations. \u201cWe remain committed to work with other law enforcement partners to detect and deter these intrusions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\">An AMO Fajardo Marine Unit interceptor crew observed a suspect vessel reaching the Las Croabas boat ramp.\u00a0 The Marine Interdiction Agents contacted the Puerto Rico Police Department who conducted a traffic stop of the vessel, tow vehicle, and a cargo van.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\">The Marine Interdiction Agents and the PRPD officers conducted an extended border search of the vessel, initially finding 152 cartons of cigarettes (totaling 30,400 individual cigarettes) concealed in the port gunnel of the vessel.\u00a0 A PRPD K-9 alerted positive to the presence of narcotics aboard the vessel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\">CBP officers performed a more intrusive search, removing the vessel\u2019s built-in fuel tank, finding a hidden compartment beneath.\u00a0 Inside they found 72 bricks (totaling 78.7 kilograms) of a white powdery substance that field-tested positive for the properties of cocaine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\">Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) assumed custody of 2 US citizens, the 72<\/span><span class=\"\" lang=\"EN\">\u00a0bricks of suspected cocaine and the vessel for further investigation.\u00a0 Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) seized the 152 cartons of cigarettes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\" lang=\"EN\">On Feb. 14,\u00a0<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbp.gov\/newsroom\/local-media-release\/amo-seizes-25-pounds-cocaine-inside-private-vessel-fajardo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AMO crews seized 25 pounds<\/a>\u00a0inside a backpack concealed inside\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"\">the center console of a private vessel arriving at the\u00a0Las Croabas boat ramp in Fajardo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\">AMO is a federal law enforcement organization dedicated to serving and protecting the American people through advanced aeronautical and maritime capabilities.\u00a0 With approximately 1,800 federal agents and mission support personnel, 240 aircraft, and 300 marine vessels operating throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands, AMO conducts its mission in the air and maritime environments at and beyond the border, and within the nation&#8217;s<\/span>\u00a0interior<span class=\"\">.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)\u00a0Air and Marine Operations (AMO)\u00a0agents and Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD) officers collaborated Sunday to seize 174 pounds (78.7\u00a0\u00a0kilos) of cocaine and\u00a0152 cartons of cigarettes found on board a private vessel that was towed out of the water.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The estimated value of the seized narcotics is $1.9 million. \u201cThis is the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":60818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[191,147],"tags":[3015],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>174 Pounds Of Cocaine Seized By Law Enforcement From Private Vessel In Eastern Puerto Rico - V.I. 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