Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan commended the work of her offices Special Investigations Bureau, the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, the DEA, the U.S. CARIBBEAN / 26 APR 2021 BY VICTORIA DITTMAR AND DOUWE DEN HELD EN Puerto Rico is seeing a surge in cocaine seizures, indicating that drug flows are being reactivated after months of dormancy amid pandemic lockdowns and that the island is on track to tally a record drug haul in 2021. L aw enforcement officials in Puerto Rico reported the largest drug bust in four years on Tuesday after officers seized $34 million worth of cocaine found in a boat off the northern coast. For example, Puerto Rico's Medicaid program began covering its first drug to cure hepatitis C in March 2020. End of Lockdown Brings Wave of Cocaine to Puerto Rico - Business Insider 17A in the Bronx yielded another $32,000 cash, various records and a Rolex watch. Postal Inspection Service, New York Division, New York City Police Commissioner Dermot F. Shea and New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen announced the arrests today in conjunction with unsealing the 25-count indictment. Shipping records showed the rollers were sent from Puerto Rico to an address in the Bronx, they added. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay received a National Response Center report of approximately 30,000 gallons of No.2 fuel oil discharged into a secondary containment area at the facility. The Coast Guard Cutter Richard Etheridge crew offloaded approximately 1,700 kilograms of seized cocaine at Coast Guard Base San Juan, following the disruption go-fast vessel smuggling attempt by Coast Guard and British Virgin Islands authorities. "This seizure signifies a shift in the illegal drug landscape in New York," Donovan said in a statement. While charges in the indictment relate to USPS packages containing approximately 15 kilograms of cocaine, the investigation resulted in the seizure of roughly twice that amount, for a total of 30 kilograms of cocaine. 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Coast Guard offloads $51 million cocaine shipment in Puerto Rico after Crime in Puerto Rico: Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering, and the Poor BOSTON (AP) Drug charges have been filed against 21 people accused of running a cocaine and fentanyl ring that spanned Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine and Puerto Rico, Acting . 27 Apr 2021 0 3:13 CBP Air and Marine Operations agents assisted in the interdiction and seizure of nearly three tons of cocaine from a semi-submersible vessel near Puerto Rico. US tourist killed in Puerto Rico after alleged drug buy - New York Post But our NYPD investigators and partners in law enforcement weren't fooled and today's important indictment from theOffice of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor shows our unwavering commitment to keep New Yorkers from being victimized by crime," said Police Commissioner Dermot Shea. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - On March 10, 2021, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging 30 violent gang members with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and aiding and abetting in the possession/distribution of controlled substances, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United Will His AI Plans Be Any Different? On Sept. 6, a bystander contacted Coast Guard Station Monterey watchstanders reporting a person was stranded on Greyhound Rock, San Francisco. Sector San Francisco launched a helicopter from Air Station San Francisco. We've received your submission. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 HoustonsWhats Your Point? Drug Bust. Often, the named recipients were either fictitious or were actual individuals not associated with the address. 9 Arrested, $450k in Cocaine Seized After Large NJ, Pa. Drug Bust 'Operation Yo-Yo' a large-scale narcotics investigation initiated by the DEA and Cape may authorities, led to the arrest of 9 . Puerto Rico police arrest 800 suspects, solve 43 killings Our strong partnerships, as in the case of the British Virgin Islands and island nations throughout our area of responsibility, are key to achieving safe and secure maritime borders from drug trafficking and other smuggling threats in the Eastern Caribbean. Learn more. U.S. DOJ in Puerto Rico said $75 million in cocaine was found, Puerto Rico cocaine seizures outpacing previous two years, Photographer: Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images. The investigation revealed the two work as managers representing recording artists in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Coast Guard Cutter Donald Horsley's crew . Members of NYDETF observed the package being delivered to the Colden Avenue address on January 22, 2021. Earlier this month, @CBPAMO and @USCG personnel partnered to seize over 5,500lbs of cocaine from a semi-submersible vessel. A court-authorized search yielded approximately $1,000 from the trunk of the vehicle, as well as two cellphones. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Eagle has served as a classroom at sea to future Coast Guard officers since 1946, offering an at-sea leadership and professional development experience as part of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy curriculum. CBP Air and Marine Operations agents assisted in the interdiction and seizure of nearly three tons of cocaine from a semi-submersible vessel near Puerto Rico. The men were arrested on Sept. 16, when police searched three separate houses involved in the ring, Baart wrote. 26 Puerto Rico is also temporarily increasing (through September 30, 2021) physician payments to a minimum of 70 percent of Medicare rates, which is more in line with the national average for state Medicaid programs. Mendez and Matos were previously arrested with five other men by DEA agents and Syracuse police in August on the same drug charges as Tirado, according to a separate federal complaint also written by Baart. 30 Members Of A Violent Gang Charged For Drug Trafficking In Mayagez used to use small aircraft to drop shipments into the island in the 1980s and 1990s. This disruption and seizure were the result of multi-agency efforts involving the Caribbean Border Interagency Group and the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force. On June 3, 2021, members of NYDETF stopped a car in which Garcia was an occupant. Authorities seized three guns and 28 lbs. The article has been updated to reflect the correct tonnage. Attorney General James and DEA Announce Takedown of 12-Person Cocaine In carrying out the charged conspiracy, which ran from May of 2020 to July of 2021, accused ringleaders Carlos Duarte, aka "Showtime," and Alexis Garcia, aka "Ale G.," allegedly shipped numerous packages containing cocaine from Puerto Rico to New York and Massachusetts. Puerto Rico sees a surge in tourism - the Guardian Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen said, This investigation speaks to the strong partnerships we have with our state, local and federal agencies, and to our commitment to keep dangerous drugs off our streets. Over the years we have seen many creative ways that drug traffickers conceal illegal narcotics in an effort to elude detection from law enforcement. of alleged heroin from a Riverdale stash apartment in the Bronx on Nov. 4, 2021, authorities say. Despite the challenging sea state conditions and thanks to the close collaboration and coordination with our Royal Virgin Islands Police partners, our crews did an outstanding job in disrupting a major shipment of cocaine and keeping it from ever reaching the streets, said Capt. Learn more. The house on East Laurel Street was identified in the complaint by Baart as a stash house. articles a month for anyone to read, even non-subscribers! Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. DEA: Bust rids Puerto Rico of 'most hard-core' traffickers Editors note: This article initially misstated the weight of the drug shipment as 1.25 tons. Boston Based International Cocaine Ring Busted by Postal Inspectors Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Five Charged in Sophisticated Scheme to Mail Cocaine from Puerto Rico Officers found 136 bricks of cocaine . BOSTON (AP) Drug charges have been filed against 21 people accused of running a cocaine and fentanyl ring that spanned Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine and Puerto Rico,. (CNN) -- A sweeping drug bust in Puerto Rico involving more . Drug-Smuggling Submarine Seized as Puerto Rico Busts Accelerate