This disruption and seizure were the result of multi-agency efforts involving the Caribbean Border Interagency Group and the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force. The men were arrested on Sept. 16, when police searched three separate houses involved in the ring, Baart wrote. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle will be moored at High Street Landing Sept. 17 Sept. 20 and will be open for free public tours. Border / Cartel ChroniclesCrimeAir and Marine OperationsAMOCocaineDrug TraffickingPuerto RicoSemi-Submersible VesselU.S. Top Row (left to right): Ramito Ramirez-Barreto, Iban Barreto . Puerto Rico will close its only zoo after longstanding complaints NBC News 16:34 28-Feb-23. The majority of drugs CBP seized on the island last year was from go-fast boats, known locally as yola vessels. Vous pouvez modifier vos choix tout moment en cliquant sur le lien Tableau de bord sur la vie prive prsent sur nos sites et dans nos applications. U.S. DOJ in Puerto Rico said $75 million in cocaine was found, Puerto Rico cocaine seizures outpacing previous two years, Photographer: Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images. The nearly 66,000 pounds of drugs discovered in and around Puerto Rico that year was about 40% higher than the previous years 47,500 pounds. Members of NYDETF observed the package being delivered to the Colden Avenue address on January 22, 2021. Pour en savoir plus sur la faon dont nous utilisons vos donnes personnelles, veuillez consulter notre politique relative la vie prive et notre politique en matire de cookies. Boom and Bust in Puerto Rico is the story of how the demise of an obscure tax policy that encouraged investment and economic growth led to escalating budget deficits and the government's shocking default of its $70 billion debt. Postal Service. The seizure led to the arrest and indictment of three people for a variety of drug trafficking and maritime law violations. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations made a massive cocaine bust earlier this week when agents hauled in nearly 800 pounds in an attempted smuggling operation off the. Agents and officers recovered four kilograms of cocaine split between two lunchboxes, one gray and one red. Puerto Rico's lone zoo to be permanently closed after years of complaints Chicago Sun-Times 14:39 28-Feb-23. Mendez and Matos were previously arrested with five other men by DEA agents and Syracuse police in August on the same drug charges as Tirado, according to a separate federal complaint also written by Baart. On January 21, 2021, surveillance footage in Puerto Rico showed Duarte shipping a USPS package destined for 2925 Colden Avenue in the Williamsbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, which is the residence of Sweeney. Puerto Rico's only zoo is closing after years of suspected negligence, lack of resources Fox News 11:27 28-Feb-23. The unit detected 218 "conventional aircraft incursions" on U.S. soil in the 2021 fiscal year, seized 1.1 million pounds of narcotics and $73.1 million in illicit currency, made more than 122,000. 17A in the Bronx yielded another $32,000 cash, various records and a Rolex watch. Duartes fingerprints were allegedly found on two packages and Garcias on four, and Centeno-Rosados on one of the packages associated with Garcia. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. The actual weight is 5,515 pounds or 2.76 tons. (U.S. Coast Guard photo), Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. April 28, 2021 12:55am Updated Local authorities said Tariq Quadir Loat of Delaware was killed on April 24, 2021. Fuentes was also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, DEA task force officer Kelly Baart wrote in the complaint. Thanks for contacting us. An official website of the United States government, Coast Guard offloads $51 million cocaine shipment in San Juan, Puerto Rico, following a drug bust near the British Virgin Islands, The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Richard Etheridge crew offloaded approximately 1,700 kilograms of seized cocaine at Coast Guard Base San Juan Friday, following the disruption go-fast vessel smuggling attempt by Coast Guard and British Virgin Islands authorities near Anegada, British Virgin Islands. A court-authorized search of the cell phones showed Garcia and another individual allegedly engaged in narcotics-related conversation, with Garcia sending a USPS receipt and the other individual sending a picture of a kilogram of cocaine. Coast Guard Cutter Donald Horsley's crew . By United States Coast Guard. Lorsque vous utilisez nos sites et applications, nous utilisons des, authentifier les utilisateurs, appliquer des mesures de scurit, empcher les spams et les abus; et. Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting. Mendez and Matos operated in the West Side of Syracuse, Baart wrote. Si vous souhaitez personnaliser vos choix, cliquez sur Grer les paramtres de confidentialit. Anna Giaritelli, Homeland Security Reporter, Virginia Republicans give Trump an edge, but only DeSantis and Youngkin lead Biden, The ESG attack on energy becomes personal, The Debrief: Conn Carroll on HHS encouraging illegal child labor, WATCH: Steven Spielberg likens rise in antisemitism to 'Germany in the '30s', AOC gloats after construction of Virginia Amazon headquarters delayed as company cuts jobs, Alex Murdaugh trial: Watch the key video that could've sealed guilty murder verdict. On June 3, 2021, members of NYDETF stopped a car in which Garcia was an occupant. SAN JUAN The Coast Guard Cutters Mohawk and Charles David Jr. transferred custody of two suspected smugglers and $8.5 million in seized cocaine to federal agents at a Coast Guard Base in Puerto Rico on Thursday, following the interdiction of a drug smuggling go-fast vessel in the Caribbean Sea.. Coast Guard offloads a $20 million in cocaine, following at-sea drug bust near Puerto Rico. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Cocaine continues to be an illegal drug anchored in New York, said DEA Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan. articles a month for anyone to read, even non-subscribers! Syracuse, N.Y. Four Syracuse men are facing federal drug charges after a four-month investigation found them to be distributing cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico and heroin, according to a complaint filed in federal court. This summer, Coast Guard Academy Cadets completed a transatlantic voyage and experienced port calls in Azores, Iceland, and Bermuda. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. Border Patrol officials seized a massive amount of cocaine during a drug bust in Puerto Rico this week.. Border Patrol agents in the Ramey sector and Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces for Rapid Action seized 343 lbs. Puerto Rico has become a hotbed for drug traffickers attempting to smuggle cocaine and heroin from Colombia in South America to the East Coast of the U.S. Border officials in Puerto Rico. NEW! He said some of those arrested are accused of killing people and of drug trafficking. The livery driver showed the cars destination as 237 Hoover Road in Yonkers, the residence of Duarte. A court-authorized search yielded approximately $1,000 from the trunk of the vehicle, as well as two cellphones. Defendants Charged with Trafficking Cocaine from Puerto Rico to Western New York. When Fuentes was arrested, he tried to throw away a .40-caliber Glock that police later found, according to Baart. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, Americas Tall Ship, is scheduled to arrive in Portsmouth on Sept. 17, 2021. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Angel Ayala-Vazquez, aka Angelo Millones, and his brother Luis X. Cruz-Vazquez, aka El Mono, were found guilty Tuesday of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, crack, cocaine, marijuana, Percocet, and Xanax, following a joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Share Your Design Ideas, New JerseysMurphy Defends $10 Billion Rainy Day Fund as States Economy Slows, This Week in Crypto: Ukraine War, Marathon Digital, FTX, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico Stephen Muldrow. . Puerto Rico, and United States - specifically Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Arraignments for three of the five defendants are scheduled for this afternoon before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Abraham Clott. Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter. Bloomberg Business of Sports lets you follow the money in the world of sports, reporting on trades, salaries, endorsements, contracts and collective bargaining. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Both are residents of New York. Puerto Rico's only zoo is closing after years of suspected negligence, lack of resources Fox News 16:27 28-Feb-23. They are scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on November 17, 2021. The indictment includes charges againstdefendants Arturo Gonzlez-Quiones, Freiman Yepes-Ospina, and Jos lvaro Crdoba-Rentera forconspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to operate and embark in a semi-submersible vessel without nationality, and to navigate thereon into and through waters beyond the outer limit of any countrys territorial sea, with the intent to evade detection, in violation of the Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act (DTVIA), officials reported. Sector San Francisco launched a helicopter from Air Station San Francisco. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Shipping records showed the rollers were sent from Puerto Rico to an address in the Bronx, they added. The drug bust took place near Mona Island,. For example, Puerto Rico's Medicaid program began covering its first drug to cure hepatitis C in March 2020. Cops snagged 25 pounds of cocaine and $350,000 in a Bronx drug bust they say disrupted a large-scale narcotics distribution network with possible ties to Puerto Rico. Reports on the New York federal courts. Learn more. If this tactic was designed to throw off law enforcement, it did not work. We've received your submission. Officers found 136 bricks of cocaine . Cocaine availability nationwide in 2019 dropped 14% from the prior year and hit its lowest level in six years, and supply remained largely steady throughout 2020, according to a March 2021 DEA report. At the height of the ongoing pandemic, these alleged drugtraffickers hid behind jobs in the music industry and shipped their cocaine in children's lunch boxes. dvelopper et amliorer nos produits et services. These USPS packages contained a total of eight kilograms of cocaine concealed inside childrens lunchboxes and a zip binder. Frequently, the return addresses were in New York, despite the packages originating in Puerto Rico. Learn more. Maldonado also discusses the extent of the devastation from Hurricane Maria in 2017, the massive street protests . Many maritime smugglers depart Venezuela with the goal of getting products to the southern coast of Puerto Rico. A federal investigation found the ring to also have ties to New York City, Richard Southwick, a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Northern District of New York, said in a press release. Other charges contained in the indictment include, Conspiracy in the Second Degree, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First and Third Degrees. But Loats badly burned body was found by authorities on Sunday in the town of Vega Baja. . Jose Velez, 40, is facing . The local ring, led by Jobany Tirado and Omar Fuentes, was found to distribute drugs to another group that operated primarily in the West Side of Syracuse, according to federal complaints filed in the Northern District of New York. Jeffrey Quinones, public affairs officer for CBPs Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands outposts, told the Washington Examiner that the eastern Caribbean has served as a trafficking pit stop for decades, but the recent uptick indicates cartels are using the 100-mile-wide island to circumnavigate the Mexican border. Since June, 15 people with connections to the ring have been arrested and federally charged, Southwick said. On April 14, 2021, agents and officers conducted a court-authorized search of Coddingtons residence at 21-27 149th Street in Flushing, Queens. The specific address was not included in the complaint. Boston Based International Cocaine Ring Busted by Postal Inspectors with Help from Boston and State Police. Earlier this month, @CBPAMO and @USCG personnel partnered to seize over 5,500lbs of cocaine from a semi-submersible vessel. Wesley Coddington, aka "Lucky," and Bryan Centeno-Rosado were arrested during the investigation and charged in criminal complaints. Pa. woman missing since 1992 found alive in Puerto . Drug Bust. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. NEW YORK CITY An indictment filed by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor charges five individuals in a sophisticated conspiracy to smuggle millions of dollars in cocaine from Puerto Rico to New York and Massachusetts via the U.S. The seized cocaine has an estimated wholesale value of approximately $51 million dollars. Cellphone communications between Duarte and Centeno-Rosado indicate Duarte ordered the livery car. The Coast Guard arrested three people from the vessel and confiscated the semi-submersible boat. Coddington also possessed a small quantity of fentanyl on his person. An attorney for Agramonte-Minaya declined to comment. The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Training and Technical Assistance Center (PDMP TTAC) reports 2020 data and 2021 features of the Puerto Rico Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). Agents, officers and inspectors employed a wide range of investigative tools, including the collection of latent fingerprints from USPS packages, physical and electronic surveillance, court authorized searches and various other investigative tools. This story has been shared 121,057 times. Make no mistake, law enforcement will spare no resource to bring them to justice for their crimes in an effort to maintain the safety of the communities we serve, said Inspector in Charge Philip R. Bartlett. Amazon Pauses Construction on Second Headquarters in Virginia as It Cuts Jobs, Amazon Is Closing Its Cashierless Stores in NYC, San Francisco and Seattle, iPhone Maker Plans $700 Million India Plant in Shift From China, Stock Traders Are Ignoring Blaring Bond Alarms, Russia Is Getting Around Sanctions to Secure Supply of Key Chips for War. While charges in the indictment relate to USPS packages containing approximately 15 kilograms of cocaine, the investigation resulted in the seizure of roughly twice that amount, for a total of 30 kilograms of cocaine. Often, the named recipients were either fictitious or were actual individuals not associated with the address. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - On March 29, 2021, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned a six-count indictment charging 25 gang members with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and aiding and abetting in the possession/distribution of controlled substances, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United Officials captured a 52-foot (15.8 meter) long, 8-foot-wide semi-submersible carrying 2,500 kilograms (5,512 pounds) of cocaine worth about $75 million, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico Stephen Muldrow said at a press conference. Members of NYDETF and USPIS observed Coddington enter a vehicle and move around in the back seat. Drug-Smuggling Submarine Seized as Puerto Rico Busts Accelerate U.S. DOJ in Puerto Rico said $75 million in cocaine was found Puerto Rico cocaine seizures outpacing previous two years. A . In carrying out the charged conspiracy, which ran from May of 2020 to July of 2021, accused ringleaders Carlos Duarte, aka "Showtime," and Alexis Garcia, aka "Ale G.," allegedly shipped numerous packages containing cocaine from Puerto Rico to New York and Massachusetts. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. At least two packages bore the return address of a luxury clothing boutique in Upper Manhattan. August 17, 2022, 2:04 PM. The U.S. Department of Justice in Puerto Rico said Monday that authorities had made a record-breaking cocaine bust after officials seized a submarine in Caribbean waters. Members of NYDETF observed the package being delivered to the Colden Avenue address on January 22, 2021. BOSTON (AP) Drug charges have been filed against 21 people accused of running a cocaine and fentanyl ring that spanned Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine and Puerto Rico, Acting . Puerto Rico's lone zoo to be permanently closed after years of complaints Chicago Sun-Times 19:39 28-Feb-23. Instagram A 24-year-old tourist from Delaware was killed in Puerto Rico. Over the years we have seen many creative ways that drug traffickers conceal illegal narcotics in an effort to elude detection from law enforcement. Abstract. by Live Boston May 27, 2021 14:57 May 28, 2021. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( This Supreme Court Case Could Redefine Crime, YellowstoneBackers Wanted to Cash OutThen the Streaming Bubble Burst, How Countries Leading on Early Years of Child Care Get It Right, Female Execs Are Exhausted, Frustrated and Heading for the Exits, No Major Offer Expected on Childcare in UK Budget, Biden Gives Medal of Honor to Trailblazing Special Forces Member, Oils $128 Billion Handout as Doubts Grow About Fossil Fuels, Climate Change Is Launching a MutantSeed Space Race, This Former Factory Is Now New Taipeis Edgiest Project, What Do You Want to See in a Covid Memorial? Coast GuardU.S. The bust comes as authorities grapple with a 150% increase in cocaine seizures over the past year in the area, said Ray Donovan, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's special agent in charge for the New York division. The suppliers of illegal drugs are exploiting every channel they can to infiltrate our communities, including the U.S. Follow him on Twitter@BobPriceBBTXandFacebook. Local police and Department of Homeland Security agents responded Monday to find 739 pounds of cocaine bricks concealed inside duffel bags on board the decrepit vessel. The house on East Laurel Street was identified in the complaint by Baart as a stash house.