The U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday, crews offloaded 1,709 pounds of seized cocaine and transferred custody of three men to federal law enforcement authorities in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Coast Guard officials say the suspected smugglers are Venezuelan nationals who now face criminal prosecution by the U.S. Department of Justice in the U.S. Federal District Court in Puerto Rico. The seized contraband is estimated to be worth $19 million.
Crews interdicted a non-compliant 46-foot boat on Saturday night after a patrol aircraft spotted the boat while patrolling Caribbean Sea waters southeast of Puerto Rico. Following a high-speed pursuit and the interdiction of the boat, the cutter crew apprehended the smugglers and successfully recovered 31 bales of cocaine which had been thrown from the vessel.
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