US Border Patrol Seizes 198 Pounds of Cocaine during a maritime smuggling event in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico

A deceased man was found under the smuggling vessel

AGUADILLA, Puerto Rico –Ramey Sector Border Patrol agents seized 198 pounds (90 kilos) of cocaine Wednesday morning abandoned next to a makeshift “yola” vessel and the body of a man in the area of Guajataca beach in Quebradillas.  The estimated value of the contraband is $ 2 million.

On the early morning hours of Nov. 16, 2022, agents detected a vessel traveling without navigation lights approximately one nautical mile northwest of Quebradillas. 

When the Border Patrol agents reached the location, they found the yola vessel capsized and discovered the presence of narcotics scattered on site.  Agents also discovered a deceased male subject trapped under the vessel.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD) were notified. PRPD responded and took lead in the investigation of the deceased subject. 

BPAs seized three bundles and four bricks which field tested positive to the properties of cocaine.

The smuggling vessel identified as a 23-ft makeshift vessel with two outboard engines (OBEs) was recovered and transported to Ramey Station. A firearm found in the smuggling vessel was turned over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The deceased subject was taken by the Puerto Rico Forensics Institute. 

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.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.