Border patrol agents in the U.S. recently intercepted a boat loaded with narcotics valued at around $6 million off the coast of Puerto Rico. The operation led to the seizure of eleven bales of cocaine, totaling over 660 pounds, and the arrest of two individuals from the Dominican Republic.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) revealed that a trained K9 alerted agents to the presence of the drugs. This latest bust adds to a series of narcotics seizures in recent weeks, including one incident at a U.S.-Mexico border entry that uncovered over a ton of drugs in July.
The interception occurred approximately 43 miles south of Ponce, Puerto Rico, and was initiated by an aircraft monitoring the area. The CBP Air and Marine Operations Marine Unit quickly deployed a boat to apprehend the blue and white vessel carrying two men.
Following the seizure, the men were handed over to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for further investigation. Just a few days prior, on August 24, CBP agents at the Rio Grande border found $3 million worth of cocaine concealed inside a shipment of charcoal. In total, from October 2023 to July 2024, over 442,000 pounds of drugs have been seized along the southwest border and coastal regions, highlighting increased drug trafficking activities.
According to the DEA’s National Drug Threat Assessment released in May 2024, both Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are identified as crucial transit points for cocaine smuggling by drug cartels. Alarmingly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported around 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2023.
The accompanying chart from Statista presents data on coca leaf-producing countries and estimated cocaine users by region in 2022.
Cocaine, an addictive stimulant derived from coca plant leaves native to South America, poses serious challenges for authorities. As one expert noted, “We have a choice; we either responsibly regulate these drugs or leave them in the hands of organized crime. There is no third option where these markets simply vanish.”