Authorities arrested a suspected smuggler after he was found stowing away on a barge in the San Juan Harbor last month, recovering nearly 800 pounds of cocaine worth more than $5 million, the U.S. Coast Guard announced on Monday.
The Coast Guard Station in San Juan, Puerto Rico, immediately launched a response and alerted partner agencies who responded to the scene, including Customs and Border Protection’s Caribbean Air and Marine Branch and Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action.
Coast Guard personnel also issued an alert advising surrounding vessels to be on the lookout for any signs of distress.
"Shortly thereafter, the Station San Juan boat crew sighted and recovered one person and 10 bales of suspected contraband from the water," officials said, noting that no other stowaways or contraband were found on the vessel.
The suspect, whose identity has not yet been released, and the seized cocaine were transferred to Homeland Security Task Force-San Juan law enforcement partners at the San Juan Coast Guard station in Puerto Rico. The suspect now faces federal prosecution on drug trafficking charges, officials said.
Last month, the San Juan Coast Guard and Homeland Security Task Force partner agencies intercepted a suspected drug smuggling vessel in international waters just north of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico.
Cmdr. Matthew Romano, Sector San Juan's chief of response, said the seizures reflect ongoing interagency efforts to secure the nation’s Eastern Caribbean maritime borders against drug trafficking and other criminal operations.
"This successful narcotics interdiction highlights the efficient interoperability and strength within the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine Branch and our Homeland Security Task Force partner agencies to interdict drug smuggling vessels," Romano said.
"I commend the professionalism and coordination between all partners who contributed to this the interdiction. We are proud to stand the watch alongside our Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and our local law enforcement partners as we continue to relentlessly combat illicit trafficking throughout the waters of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands."