Dominican smugglers caught on vessel with MASSIVE amount of cocaine, CBP says

Four nationals from the Dominican Republic were caught trying to smuggle a massive amount of cocaine to Puerto Rico, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.

The vessel was detected north of Puerto Rico on Oct. 28 by a New Orleans Branch Air and Marine Operations aircraft, according to a CBP press release obtained by Blaze News.

'This operation reflects the critical role of Air and Marine Operations in protecting our maritime borders and disrupting criminal smuggling networks in the Caribbean.'

Later that evening, air and marine crews "initiated an interdiction response" after the vessel of interest was detected near Carolina, Puerto Rico.

CBP says rather than slow down during the interdiction operation, the vessel sped up and failed to stop. The vessel occupants then allegedly tossed bales into the water before the vessel came to a stop north of Loíza in Puerto Rico.

Four individuals from the vessel were arrested by air and marine crews. The one woman and three men claimed to be nationals of the Dominican Republic, CBP said.

The San Juan and Fajardo Marine Interdiction agents recovered nearly 200 pounds of cocaine, which they estimated to be worth about $1.5 million, CBP claimed.

"Through the coordinated efforts of our air and marine crews, we were able to detect, track, and safely interdict this vessel before it could reach Puerto Rico," said Caribbean Air and Marine Branch Director Christopher Hunter.

"This operation reflects the critical role of Air and Marine Operations in protecting our maritime borders and disrupting criminal smuggling networks in the Caribbean," he added.

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In a similar action from May, three people onboard a suspicious vessel tossed packages into the waters near Puerto Rico before getting caught by the CBP Air and Marine Operations.

Four hundred pounds of alleged cocaine was recovered from that ship, and the people arrested were identified as Dominican nationals as well.

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