SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, CMC – The United States Coast Guard says the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos recently offloaded 388 pounds of cocaine, with a wholesale value of US$4.3 million, seized in the Caribbean Sea and transferred custody of two smugglers to the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Special Agents in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

The US Coast Guard said the interdiction is the result of multi-agency efforts in support of the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force. 

The apprehended smugglers are US citizens, who face federal prosecution in Puerto Rico on criminal charges, including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance aboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

The charges carry a minimum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment and a maximum sentence of imprisonment for life.  

The US Coast Guard said during the morning of September 28 the crew of a US Coast aircraft detected a suspicious 22-foot sport-craft vessel in the Caribbean Sea navigating towards Rincón, Puerto Rico. 

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