Millionaire seizure of cocaine in Punta Salinas, Toa Baja
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan special agents assigned to the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force, working in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations (AMO) San Juan Marine Unit, and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau seized approximately 328.9 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of $4.9 million.
On June 29, the AMO San Juan Marine Unit responded to a report of a yola-type vessel landing near the Punta Salinas beach area in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, and requested assistance from HSI, the DEA and Puerto Rico Police Bureau. A search of the area resulted in the seizure of nine abandoned bundles containing the drugs. No arrests were made. The investigation is a joint Caribbean Corridor Strike Force effort led by HSI and the DEA.
“HSI San Juan continues to collaborate with local law enforcement agencies to maintain the integrity of our borders and make it as hard as possible for smugglers to profit from these illegal drug trafficking schemes,” said HSI San Juan acting Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Gonzalez-Ramos.
For more news and information on HSI’s efforts to aggressively investigate drug smuggling and trafficking in Puerto Rico, follow us on Twitter @HSISanJuan.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI's workforce of more than 8,700 employees is comprised of more than 6,000 special agents stationed in 237 U.S. cities and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI's international presence represents the largest DHS investigative law enforcement presence overseas and one of the largest in U.S. law enforcement.
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