Instagram A 24-year-old tourist from Delaware was killed in Puerto Rico. articles a month for anyone to read, even non-subscribers! During surveillance, they observed a vehicle similar to Duartes white pickup truck near the location. Abstract. Cocaine availability nationwide in 2019 dropped 14% from the prior year and hit its lowest level in six years, and supply remained largely steady throughout 2020, according to a March 2021 DEA report. The 920 kilograms (2,028 pounds) of cocaine seized could have a street value of between $37 million and $370 million, depending on the retail level, according to a person familiar with the case. 158 people are indicted on drug- and gun-related charges. Defense attorneys for Aponte-Guzman and Maisonet-Lopez did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations made a massive cocaine bust earlier this week when agents hauled in nearly 800 pounds in an attempted smuggling operation off the. Puerto Rico's only zoo is closing after years of suspected negligence, lack of resources Fox News 16:27 28-Feb-23. "This seizure signifies a shift in the illegal drug landscape in New York," Donovan said in a statement. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Jeffrey Quinones, public affairs officer for CBPs Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands outposts, told the Washington Examiner that the eastern Caribbean has served as a trafficking pit stop for decades, but the recent uptick indicates cartels are using the 100-mile-wide island to circumnavigate the Mexican border. Other charges contained in the indictment include, Conspiracy in the Second Degree, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First and Third Degrees. Often, the named recipients were either fictitious or were actual individuals not associated with the address. . Traffickers used to use small aircraft to drop shipments into the island in the 1980s and 1990s but now rely on go-fast boats, fishing vessels, luxury yachts, cruise ships, and containerized cargo. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter. The seizure led to the arrest and indictment of three people for a variety of drug trafficking and maritime law violations. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Angel Ayala-Vazquez, aka Angelo Millones, and his brother Luis X. Cruz-Vazquez, aka El Mono, were found guilty Tuesday of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, crack, cocaine, marijuana, Percocet, and Xanax, following a joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Jose Velez, 40, is facing . Puerto Rico will close its only zoo after longstanding complaints NBC News 16:34 28-Feb-23. 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. At the height of the ongoing pandemic, these alleged drugtraffickers hid behind jobs in the music industry and shipped their cocaine in children's lunch boxes. Postal Inspectors identified several hallmarks of packages sent by the organization, and uncovered a more extensive pattern involving 100 similar packages shipped since May of 2020. 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. In the summer of 1993, the Puerto Rican government, alarmed about the record-breaking murder rate on the island, launched a massive military occupation of public housing projects. The search yielded more than 18 pink zip lock bags containing cocaine, as well as $4,000 cash, a Rolex watch, luxury sneakers, a luxury book bag and wallet, a kilo press (equipment used in packaging narcotics), three digital scales and cellphones. The suppliers of illegal drugs are exploiting every channel they can to infiltrate our communities, including the U.S. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Pennsylvania woman missing since 1992 found alive in Puerto Rico, LA artist nearly loses hand after impaling it on her own paintbrush, Miss Puerto Rico and Miss Argentina star in sexy Fenty ad after wedding, 3 US tourists stabbed in Puerto Rico after being warned to stop filming hamburger cart: cops. Cellphone communications between Duarte and Centeno-Rosado indicate Duarte ordered the livery car. Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland, and Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson of the Drug Enforcement Administration announce the conclusion of "Operation Yo-Yo" a large scale narcotics investigation initiated by the Cape May County . Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. 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. New Zealand police find 3.5 tons of cocaine in Pacific Ocean . Over the years we have seen many creative ways that drug traffickers conceal illegal narcotics in an effort to elude detection from law enforcement. Postal Service. 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. Editors note: This article initially misstated the weight of the drug shipment as 1.25 tons. (U.S. Coast Guard photo), Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. Officers found 136 bricks of cocaine . Concealing narcotic drugs in childrens lunchboxes was the modus operandi for this organization. The show takes listeners inside the business end of the sports world, and explains what it means to fans and their pocketbooks. At approximately 4:40 p.m., agents and officers observed Centeno-Rosado exit the location carrying a heavy duffel bag and get into a livery car. 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. A search of the vessel led to the discovery of 5,515 pounds of cocaine. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The charges and allegations are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. An official website of the United States government. Wesley Coddington, aka "Lucky," and Bryan Centeno-Rosado were arrested during the investigation and charged in criminal complaints. Bridget G. Brennan, New York Citys Special Narcotics Prosecutor, Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division, Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Low-cost flights to Puerto Rico have enticed many travelers to choose the island as a vacation spot during the pandemic. Officials placed the value of the 2.76 tons of cocaine at approximately $75 million. Once the helicopter crew arrived on scene, they lowered the rescue swimmer to the rock and hoisted the man into the helicopter. Puerto Rico, and United States - specifically Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Hiding narcotics in kid branded items is pathetic. 17A in the Bronx yielded another $32,000 cash, various records and a Rolex watch. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Jackson managed to flee and was later hospitalized, authorities said. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 HoustonsWhats Your Point? Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. On June 3, 2021, members of NYDETF stopped a car in which Garcia was an occupant. He had approximately $12,000 on his person. . Eight of those charged . Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. For example, Puerto Rico's Medicaid program began covering its first drug to cure hepatitis C in March 2020. Nous, Yahoo, faisons partie de la famille de marques Yahoo. Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting. Customs and Border Protection. The acronym for the Puerto Rico PDMP is PR PDMP. The interdiction was the result of multi-agency efforts in support of U.S. Southern Commands enhanced counter-narcotics operations in the Western Hemisphere, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) programs, and the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force (CCSF), officials said in a written statement. Coast Guard offloads a $20 million in cocaine, following at-sea drug bust near Puerto Rico. Centeno-Rosado was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint. Sunday-morning talk show. 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 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - On March 29, 2021, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned a six-count indictment charging 25 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 Drug Bust. Authorities seized three guns and 28 lbs. Duarte faces the top narcotics charge of Operating as a Major Trafficker. The following day, on April 29, 2021, members of NYDETF and USPIS tracked a package destined for 1871 Barnes Avenue in the Bronx. The specific address was not included in the complaint. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Coast Guard offloads $51 million in cocaine in San Juan, Puerto Rico, following at-sea drug bust near the British Virgin Islands. By United States Coast Guard. This Supreme Court Case Could Redefine Crime, YellowstoneBackers Wanted to Cash OutThen the Streaming Bubble Burst, How Countries Leading on Early Years of Child Care Get It Right, Female Execs Are Exhausted, Frustrated and Heading for the Exits, No Major Offer Expected on Childcare in UK Budget, Biden Gives Medal of Honor to Trailblazing Special Forces Member, Oils $128 Billion Handout as Doubts Grow About Fossil Fuels, Climate Change Is Launching a MutantSeed Space Race, This Former Factory Is Now New Taipeis Edgiest Project, What Do You Want to See in a Covid Memorial? Since June, 15 people with connections to the ring have been arrested and federally charged, Southwick said. . Agents, officers and inspectors employed a wide range of investigative tools, including the collection of latent fingerprints from USPS packages, physical and electronic surveillance, court authorized searches and various other investigative tools. Coddington also possessed a small quantity of fentanyl on his person. 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. Pour en savoir plus sur la faon dont nous utilisons vos donnes personnelles, veuillez consulter notre politique relative la vie prive et notre politique en matire de cookies. Thanks for contacting us. Garcia was arrested in front of a recording studio located at 281 S. Broadway in Yonkers. The U.S. Department of Justice in Puerto Rico said Monday that authorities had made a record-breaking cocaine bust after officials seized a submarine in Caribbean waters. Sector San Francisco launched a helicopter from Air Station San Francisco. This may be the biggest meth bust in American history . Puerto Rico's lone zoo to be permanently closed after years of complaints Chicago Sun-Times 14:39 28-Feb-23. August 17, 2022, 2:04 PM. At least two packages bore the return address of a luxury clothing boutique in Upper Manhattan. The men were arrested on Sept. 16, when police searched three separate houses involved in the ring, Baart wrote. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( 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. of cocaine on Monday, which has an estimated street value of $4.6 million, according to a statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. More than 30 people were arrested in Hampton Roads in a massive drug bust. Drug-Smuggling Submarine Seized as Puerto Rico Busts Accelerate U.S. DOJ in Puerto Rico said $75 million in cocaine was found Puerto Rico cocaine seizures outpacing previous two years. The Coast Guard, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and Environmental Protection Agency are managing cleanup efforts from an oil discharge, on Sept. 8, at the NRG Indian River Power Plant in Dagsboro, Delaware. Defendants Charged with Trafficking Cocaine from Puerto Rico to Western New York. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. A major drug pipeline from Puerto Rico to Syracuse has been dismantled as a result of this homegrown investigation, said DEA Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan. Postal Service, this time using items geared towards children. At 295 feet in length, Cutter Eagle is the largest tall ship flying the stars and stripes and the only active square-rigger in United States government service. Syracuse, N.Y. Four Syracuse men are facing federal drug charges after a four-month investigation found them to be distributing cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico and heroin, according to. Earlier this month, @CBPAMO and @USCG personnel partnered to seize over 5,500lbs of cocaine from a semi-submersible vessel. Members of NYDETF and USPIS observed Coddington enter a vehicle and move around in the back seat. Coast Guard rescues stranded man off rocks near Greyhound Rock County Park. Si vous souhaitez personnaliser vos choix, cliquez sur Grer les paramtres de confidentialit. I applaud the proactive work conducted by the NYC Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor, the US Postal Inspection Service, and the members of the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, Group T-41.. Coast Guard offloads $51 million cocaine shipment in Puerto Rico after Caribbean drug bust by: WFLA 8 On Your Side Staff Posted: Sep 3, 2021 / 01:44 PM EDT Updated: Sep 3, 2021 /. 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 . A court authorized search of his home at 1500 Noble Avenue, Apt. Tariq Loat and a friend, James Jackson, were attacked in La Perla on Saturday following the alleged drug deal when they tried to take photographs, despite being told not to, according to Police Commissioner Antonio Lpez Figueroa. Damian Williams, the new U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York sworn in last month, referred to the amount of cocaine seized as a "massive quantity of dangerous drugs.". The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Training and Technical Assistance Center (PDMP TTAC) reports 2020 data and 2021 features of the Puerto Rico Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). Musk Made a Mess at Twitter. This disruption and seizure is the result of multi-agency efforts involving the Caribbean Border Interagency Group and the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force. The helicopter crew then transported the man to awaiting California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection personnel in a nearby parking lot with no reported injuries. A 24-year-old tourist from Delaware was killed in Puerto Rico over the weekend after allegedly buying drugs in a coastal shantytown, authorities said. A locked padlock This drug conspiracy is representative of how a trafficking organization capitalized during Covid by using mail services to transport illegal drugs into New York. A court-authorized search of the cell phones showed Garcia and another individual allegedly engaged in narcotics-related conversation, with Garcia sending a USPS receipt and the other individual sending a picture of a kilogram of cocaine. They are scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on November 17, 2021. Twenty of the accused have been processes and booked. Previously worked as a correspondent in Venezuela and Argentina. Frequently, the return addresses were in New York, despite the packages originating in Puerto Rico. 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 nearly 66,000 pounds of drugs discovered in and around Puerto Rico that year was about 40% higher than the previous years 47,500 pounds. On January 21, 2021, surveillance footage in Puerto Rico showed Duarte shipping a USPS package destined for 2925 Colden Avenue in the Williamsbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, which is the residence of Sweeney. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Enhanced enforcement efforts along the Central America/Mexico corridor and on the U.S. Southwest border as well as the ongoing violence between rival TCOs [transnational criminal organizations] in Mexico may be contributing to the shift to more efficient, presumably less troublesome Caribbean routes," according to the 2015 White House Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy report. Gregory H. Magee, Sector San Juan commander. To counteract, federal law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), coordinated efforts with the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD) and other local agencies. Later that month, Duarte travelled to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas and New Mexico. Police Commissioner Antonio Lpez Figueroa said police also seized more than 170 weapons and some 320 pounds (146 kilograms) of 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. Agents and officers recovered four kilograms of cocaine split between two lunchboxes, one gray and one red. Sept. 16, 2021 Frontline Focus: Coast Guard offloads $51 million in cocaine in San Juan, Puerto Rico, following at-sea drug bust near the British Virgin Islands and more By Janki Panki, MyCG Writer Coast Guard offloads $51 million in cocaine in San Juan, Puerto Rico, following at-sea drug bust near the British Virgin Islands.

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