SAN JUAN — Coast Guard aircrews and local emergency authorities are searching for possible persons in the water, following the capsizing of a makeshift boat, about 75 yards off Shacks Beach in Isabela, Puerto Rico. Coast Guard watchstanders in San Juan received a 911 call at 12:58 a.m. today, reporting people in the water from a […]
Tag: U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)
4 Men In U.S. Customs Custody After Disabled Fishing Vessel Takes On Water
SAN JUAN — Coast Guard air and surface units ended the search for an overdue 20-foot blue and white boat Monday afternoon, after the vessel was found ashore near Punta Salinas in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. Four men are reportedly in the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol as their nationalities and the rest of […]
Orlando Man Gets 3 Years In Prison For Smuggling 30 Pounds Of Ganja Into STT
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A Florida habitual offender was given more than three years in prison by a federal judge for smuggling at least 27.8 pounds of marijuana into the territory, authorities said. Marvin Forbes, 49, from Orlando, was sentenced to 37 months of incarceration by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Robert A. Molloy on his […]
Texas Man Wanted For Parole Violation Arrested At CEK Airport: VIPD
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A Texas man wanted on a warrant for a parole violation was detained by federal agents at the St. Thomas airport on Saturday, authorities said. Michael Morgan, 51, of Austin, was arrested about 4:25 p.m. Saturday and charged with being a fugitive from justice, the Virgin Islands Police Department said. “Officers were […]
Arizona Man Pleads Guilty To Smuggling 24 Pounds Of Marijuana Into St. Croix
CHRISTIANSTED — An Arizona man who tried to smuggle 24 pounds of marijuana into St. Croix has pleaded guilty in federal court to being a drug dealer, authorities said. Armando Antonio Mena, 29, of Phoenix, pleaded guilty today to possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said. According to court […]
Coast Guard, U.S. Border Patrol Seize $1.9 Million In Cocaine, Detain 2 Smugglers In Isabela, Puerto Rico
AGUADILLA — A Coast Guard aircrew combined efforts with U.S. Border Patrol agents during a drug smuggling event Saturday that resulted in the seizure of 157 pounds (71 Kilos) of cocaine and the arrest of two suspected smugglers from the Dominican Republic near Villa Montana in Isabela, Puerto Rico. The estimated wholesale value of the […]
Boat Passenger Pleads Guilty To Smuggling $287,660 On Yola Vessel Into St. Thomas
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A Puerto Rican boat passenger admitted in federal court that participated in a marine mission to smuggle $287,660 into St. Thomas, authorities said. Jose Carlos Diaz Melendez of San Juan appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller in the U.S. District Court and pleaded guilty plea to a charge of concealing U.S. […]
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 and apprehended three Dominican Republic […]
Police Find A ‘Large’ Package Of Cocaine On Halfpenny Beach, 2 Suspects Nearby Get Away: VIPD
CHRISTIANSTED — Police, acting on a tip, found a “large” package of cocaine on a South Shore St. Croix beach and two men near the contraband escaped from the area, authorities said. The 911 Emergency Call Center dispatched officers to Halfpenny Beach about 7:31 a.m. Monday regarding a suspicious package that was located by a […]
Human Trafficker Gets 6 Months Home Detention For Bringing Dominican Illegal To St. Thomas By Dinghy
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A St. Thomas man who was caught by federal authorities with an illegal alien in his dingy north of St. John has been sentenced to a half year of home confinement. Ahmaud Rodriguez, 25, of Smith Bay, was given that sentence today for his June 3 conviction on transporting an illegal alien, […]