Armed cartel boats allegedly waited off the coast of Mexico for an oil tanker carrying roughly 500 pounds of cocaine before federal authorities intercepted the vessel as it headed toward Southern California, prosecutors announced Friday.
The U.S. Department of Justice said investigators recovered approximately 227 kilograms of cocaine aboard the Greek-owned and Liberian-flagged oil tanker Aquatravesia after it was diverted to the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach area.
Federal prosecutors allege the drugs were intended for a Mexican cartel and were being transported aboard the tanker after it departed Ecuador earlier this month.
A 43-year-old crew member, Ceasar Tubay Gelacio Jr., has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with importation of a controlled substance. Prosecutors identified him as a citizen of the Philippines.
According to court documents, law enforcement learned earlier this month that the Aquatravesia, whose last port of call was Ecuador, was inbound to the United States carrying kilogram quantities of cocaine intended for delivery to a Mexican drug cartel.
https://www.kark.com/news/national-news/feds-seize-cocaine-from-oil-tanker-bound-for-l-a/
