EXCLUSIVE: 560 Pounds of Cocaine Headed to Puerto Coast Seized by Border Patrol, Local Police

U.S. Border Patrol agents in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico worked alongside the Puerto Rico police to seize more than 560 pounds of cocaine on Monday. The maritime enforcement action resulted in the arrest of two United States citizens suspected of attempting to make landfall with the contraband. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), on Monday, October 5, law enforcement personnel spotted a suspicious vessel operating in waters west of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. U.S. Border Patrol agents mounted an operation to interdict the vessel, and with the help of Puerto Rico’s Fuerzas Unidas de Rapida Accion (FURA), managed to interdict the vessel off the coast of the island. FURA is a specialized tactical operations bureau formed in the mid-1980s. After boarding the vessel, agents working jointly on the interdiction discovered a total of 231 packages containing a white powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine. officials told Breitbart Texas. The vessel, suspected contraband, and two people manning the vessel were transferred to the Ramey Border Patrol Station for further investigation and processing. The 231 packages of cocaine were weighed and totaled a combined 562 pounds. After further investigation of the incident, U.S. Border Patrol agents involved in the interdiction transferred the case to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for additional investigative work and criminal prosecution. Officials reported that the drugs had an estimated street value of approximately $7.5 million. Chief Patrol Agent Reggie Johnson of the Ramey Border Patrol Sector commented on the significant seizure, saying, “This seizure demonstrates the strength of our partnerships and the vigilance of the men and women protecting Puerto Rico’s coastal borders. Working alongside the Puerto Rico Police Department and FURA, our agents prevented a significant quantity of dangerous narcotics from reaching our communities. We remain committed to disrupting transnational criminal organizations and safeguarding the public.” The Ramey Border Patrol Sector is just one of twenty sectors spread out across the United States. The maritime sector encompasses the U.S. territorial islands of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It is the only Border Patrol Sector located outside the continental United States. The Sector’s entire border area is made up of coastline, and its vast area of responsibility is made up of 6,000 square miles of land and water area, including the twelve-mile band of territorial waters surrounding the islands. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are considered critical entry points into the United States for narcotics smuggling. The nautical environment around the islands is considered the front line of defense against maritime threats to the mainland United States by CBP and the U.S. Border Patrol. The U.S. Border Patrol and Puerto Rican law enforcement authorities are a part of a wide network of U.S. law enforcement and military entities jointly cooperating to combat foreign terrorist organizations attempting to breach the borders of the United States. Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.