Coast Guard offloads $7.5 million cocaine shipment in Puerto Rico
A
Coast Guard Dauntless boarding team transports six apprehended
suspected drug smugglers following the interdiction of a go-fast vessel
July 17, 2015. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico –
The
crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless offloaded and transferred
custody of a $7.5 million cocaine shipment to federal law enforcement
special agents Wednesday at Coast Guard Sector San Juan.
The Cutter Dauntless, along with the assistance of a Netherlands Coast Guard maritime patrol aircraft, initially detected the suspicious vessel in international waters 80 nautical miles north of the Netherlands Antilles Island of Aruba. During the pursuit, the crews of the aircraft and the Dauntless observed people aboard the suspicious go-fast vessel jettisoning packages overboard.
After interdicting the vessel, the Dauntless crew successfully recovered five of the suspicious packages that were jettisoned from the go-fast vessel that later tested positive for cocaine.
The six suspected smugglers, a representative sample of cocaine, and the go-fast were transferred by the Dauntless to the Venezuelan Navy, while the rest of the abandoned drugs were transported to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“Once again, the crew of the Dauntless, along with our Dutch partners, proved to be a worthy opponent,” said Cmdr. Fritz Kuebler, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless. “We take great satisfaction in knowing that our efforts are helping to secure not only American streets but also the streets of our Caribbean neighbors.”
The Dauntless is a 210-foot Medium Endurance Cutter homeported in Galveston, Texas.
The ship and crew execute maritime law enforcement, homeland security and search and rescue missions in support of Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.