The U.S. Coast Guard announced on Thursday that a stowaway with over 500 pounds of cocaine and a firearm was discovered aboard a barge near Puerto Rico. This marks the second such incident in the same harbor this year.
Coast Guard crews from two cutters, along with a Homeland Security task force, boarded the Crimson Clover barge in San Juan Harbor on Tuesday. They found a stowaway carrying a gun and nine bales of cocaine. These bales weighed approximately 237.75 kilograms, which is about 524 pounds.
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Isaac Mayo later handed over the suspect, the weapon, and the cocaine to law enforcement at Coast Guard Base San Juan. The seized drugs have a street value estimated at $4.8 million. Authorities have not released the suspect’s identity.
Photos released by the Coast Guard show the barge, the drugs, and officers transporting the bales to shore. Lt. Cmdr. Ross Markham stated that experience and resources led to the successful boarding and drug discovery, discouraging smuggling attempts on commercial vessels.
This arrest highlights ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and human smuggling in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. The U.S. continues to intercept narcotics at sea. The previous administration engaged in military actions targeting drug-running vessels, claiming over 200 lives.
Earlier this year, a stowaway was found with 789 pounds of cocaine floating in a Puerto Rican harbor. The Coast Guard retrieved him and the 10 bales of cocaine he allegedly carried. In March, authorities seized an estimated $12 million worth of cocaine from a boat off Puerto Rico’s north coast.