Puerto Rico News

Boat Captain Pleads Guilty to Smuggling $287,660 Cash Into St. Thomas Near Savana Island
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A Puerto Rican boat captain faces 10 years in prison after a guilty plea to attempting to smuggle about $287,000 cash into the territory by boat, authorities said. Arioc Diaz Melendez, of San Juan, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller in the U.S. District Court on

3 Dominicans With 816 Pounds Of Cocaine Nabbed By U.S. Coast Guard, CBP Near Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN — The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) was involved in a $10 million drug bust in Caribbean waters recently. The U.S. Coast Guard and CBP-AMO interdicted a “yola” type wooden vessel transporting 816 pounds (370 kilos) of cocaine in the Caribbean Sea

NOAA Scientists Discover New Species Of Translucent Jellyfish Near Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN — Scientists have discovered a new species of ctenophore, or comb jelly, near Puerto Rico. The newly named Duobrachium sparksae was discovered two and a half miles below sea level by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries research team. It was found during an underwater expedition using

U.S. Coast Guard Intercepts 2 Illegal Voyages Off The Coast Of Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN — The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted two illegal voyages Sunday off the coast of Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard 7th District said this week. Puerto Rican Border Patrol (FURA) detected a 20-foot vessel with 12 migrants aboard, 11 Dominican Republic and one Guatemalan migrant — including 11 adult males and

Puerto Rico To Administer COVID-19 Vaccinations In Mid-December
SAN JUAN -— Officials in Puerto Rico announced today that it expects to receive its first COVID-19 vaccines by mid-December as the island hits a record number of daily cases and hospitalizations. Health care workers, teachers and certain public sector employees are among those who will take priority, officials said. “This will

Puerto Rican Man Who Tried To Smuggle $1.1 Million Cash By Boat To The USVI Gets 3 Years In Prison
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Two Puerto Rican men who tried to smuggle at least $1 million cash into the territory by boat have been given sentences of three years and 2.5 years respectively by a federal judge. Abnel Belordo Colón, 29, and Jose Ernesto Vazquez Colón, 25, were sentenced last Thursday

Huge Radio Telescope In Puerto Rico To Close In Blow To Science, Search For ET
SAN JUAN — The National Science Foundation announced today that it will close the huge telescope at the renowned Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico in a blow to scientists worldwide who depend on it to search for planets, asteroids and extraterrestrial life. The independent, federally funded agency said it’s too

St. Thomas’ Deion Pruitt Wins Boxing Matchup In Louisiana And Returns To CEK Airport Victorious
YOUNGVILLE, Louisiana— Coming off of the successful qualifier tournament held in Punta Gorda, Florida in late August, amateur boxers from across the United States got another chance to test their skills in the ring. The Sugar Bert Boxing National Qualifier WBC Green Belt Challenge tournament was held from Friday to

‘Climate Change, Human Activity’ Threaten The USVI’s And Mainland’s Coral Reefs, NOAA Reports Says
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A first of its kind assessment of coral reefs in U.S. waters is again sounding the alarm over the continued decline of these sensitive underwater ecosystems, which scientists deem essential to the health of the world’s oceans amid the environmental effects posed by human activity and climate

Tropical Wave Expected To Bring ‘Heavy Rains, Flash Flooding’ To The USVI And Puerto Rico: NHC
MIAMI — As Eta makes its way past Tampa Bay and Theta moves away from the United States, forecasters are keeping an eye on a tropical wave as the record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season continues. According to the National Hurricane Center, the tropical wave has a 90 percent chance of forming within the