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  4. AMO seize 43 pounds of cocaine and arrest one individual in Fajardo, Puerto Rico

AMO seize 43 pounds of cocaine and arrest one individual in Fajardo, Puerto Rico

Release Date
Mon, 07/20/2020

FAJARDO, Puerto Rico – U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations (AMO) agents seized 43 pounds (19.4 kilos) and arrested a man Tuesday afternoon attempting to elude detection near Playa Colorá.  The narcotics have an estimated street value is $485,000. Ad siplay of the sized bricks of cocaine

“Our AMO crews have been very busy working to address the illicit activity in the eastern coast of the island,” stated Johnny Morales, Director, Air and Marine Operations for the Caribbean Air and Marine Branch. “

During patrol, an AMO Marine Unit encountered a vessel navigating at full speed west towards Fajardo.  Upon spotting law enforcement, the occupants jettisoned a bag to the water and changed course.  The AMO Unit pursued. 

The vessel made a hard landfall in Playa Colorá, Fajardo, where Marine Interdiction Agents (MIA) were able to arrest one of the occupants.  The MIA’s recovered a duffle bag where they found 17 bricks that field tested positive to the properties of cocaine.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is in charge of the prosecution and investigation of the case.

Air and Marine Operations (AMO) safeguards our Nation by anticipating and confronting security threats through our aviation and maritime law enforcement expertise, innovative capabilities, and partnerships at the border and beyond.  With approximately 1,800 federal agents and mission support personnel, 240 aircraft, and 300 marine vessels operating throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands, AMO conducts its mission in the air and maritime environments at and beyond the border, and within the nation's interior.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021