cocaine

AMO Intercepts Vessel with 1,455 Pounds of Cocaine in Northern Puerto Rico

Published

1 year ago

April 6, 2023

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Release Date

Wed, 04/05/2023 – 12:00

FAJARDO, Puerto Rico— US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO), intercepted Wednesday a vessel transporting 1,455 Pounds (660 Kilograms) of cocaine and arresting four non-citizens from the Dominican Republic north of Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. The estimated value of the contraband is approximately $15.1 million.

“In less than a week Air and Marine Interdiction agents have interfered with the introduction of almost 5,000 pounds of cocaine into the island,” stated Augusto Reyes, Director of Air and Marine Operations in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. “Their maritime domain awareness allows for continued success in deterring these attempts from Transnational Criminal Organizations.”

The crew of an AMO Multirole Enforcement Aircraft (MEA) detected a 30ft Yola type vessel, with four persons on board and large packages, approximately 8 nautical miles north of Las Picuas Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.

The MEA maintained visual surveillance of the vessel while assisting AMO Marine units intercept the vessel. The vessel occupants started throwing bales to the water.

The Yola started to sink due to the sea conditions, at which point AMO contacted Puerto Rico Police Department FURA units to provide assistance in the recovery of the bales. Agents recovered 18 bales from the water and detained the four men on board the vessel before the vessel sank.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) received custody of the contraband and the four individuals for investigation and prosecution.

On April 1, AMO intercepted a vessel transporting 3,051 Pounds (1384 Kilograms) of cocaine, arresting three non-citizens from Venezuela near Palmas de Mar, in the islands’ eastern coast. Furthermore, on Mar. 30, AMO intercepted a vessel near Mona Island with 6 bales of cocaine and arrested 2 men from the Dominican Republic.

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 comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/amo-intercepts-vessel-1455-pounds-cocaine-northern-puerto-rico

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Lebanese authorities seize 8kg of cocaine at Beirut airport

Published

4 months ago

December 31, 2023

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Officials detain suspect who had previously served a six-year sentence for drug smuggling

Lebanese authorities said they had detained a man caught with about 8kg of cocaine at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport.

The man, a Brazilian national with Lebanese origins, had sought to conceal the drugs in a hidden compartment in his suitcase.

He had previously served a six-year sentence in a Lebanese prison on drug trafficking charges and was released in 2022.

Drug busts are relatively common at Lebanon’s only international airport, with authorities stepping up efforts to crack down on the trade in recent years amid pressure from countries in the Gulf.

In January, airport authorities stopped two Brazilian travellers who had ingested 2kg of cocaine in more than 150 capsules.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/2023/12/30/lebanese-authorities-seize-8kg-of-cocaine-at-beirut-airport/

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Malta: Racehorse tests positive for cocaine and other drugs after winning Marsa race

Published

6 months ago

November 13, 2023

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A racehorse tested positive for cocaine and other drugs after it won a race last month.

Six-year-old mare Halina Jibay was found with cocaine in its body when it outperformed nine other horses on the Marsa racecourse on October 1, tests carried out in a French doping laboratory revealed.

In a decision issued by the Malta Racing Club this week, the mare’s owner was suspended from all races for two years and fined €350.

A doping test result issued by the Laboratoire des Courses Hippiques and seen by Times of Malta confirms a urine sample taken from the horse on the day of the race contained cocaine, stanozolol (a synthetic steroid), ketamine (a form of tranquilliser), and methamphetamine (a stimulating drug), among other similar substances.

At least two of the substances – including cocaine – constitute among the most serious rule breaks according to the Malta Racing Club’s regulations, and the rules state such cases must also be reported to the police since the possession of these substances is illegal.

The Malta Racing Club last night said the horse owner was given until today to contest the findings and present a counter-analysis.

Should the owner not contest the findings, then the case will be reported to the police.

https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/racehorse-tests-positive-cocaine-drugs-winning-marsa-race.1066917

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cocaine

East Boston man arrested after police find 240 grams of fentanyl in home

Published

6 months ago

November 8, 2023

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An East Boston man is facing a slew of drug charges after police found a stockpile of fentanyl, cocaine, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms and thousands of dollars in his home, Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden announced Sunday.

“Fentanyl is a death drug, plain and simple,” Hayden said in a release. “The amount seized here — 240 grams of fentanyl, plus sizeable quantities of other drugs — represents a tremendous amount of potential human devastation.”

After months of investigating, police executed a search warrant for the apartment of Robert Ciampi, 63, on Orleans Street in East Boston on Nov. 1, according to the release.

Read the rest of this story on BostonHerald.com.

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