CBP seizes 518 pounds of cocaine inside an abandoned vessel in Rincon, Puerto Rico

AGUADILLA, Puerto Rico — U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s operational components, Air and Marine Operations and the US Border Patrol, found a vessel Sunday with 518 pounds (235 kilograms) of cocaine in Rincon, Puerto Rico.   The estimated value of the seized cocaine is $4.2 million. 

On June 21, a Caribbean Air and Marine Operations asset detected a suspect vessel approximately 3 nautical miles southwest of Black Eagle beach in Rincon, PR. 

Border Patrol agents from Ramey Sector reached the location and found a 22-foot white vessel with a 60-horsepower engine beached along the shoreline. On board, 8 bales of cocaine were discovered.

The contraband was seized by Border Patrol and later turned over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). 

AMO safeguards our Nation by anticipating and confronting security threats through our aviation and maritime law enforcement expertise, innovative capabilities, and partnerships at the border and beyond. AMO conducts its mission in the air and maritime environments throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Ramey Sector is one of the twenty-one Sectors spread out across the United States. Encompassing the U.S. territorial islands of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, it is the only Border Patrol Sector located outside the continental United States. The Sector’s entire border area is made up of coastline and its area of responsibility is made up of some 6,000 square miles of land and water area, including the twelve-mile band of territorial water surrounding the Islands.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We facilitate safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.