C.B.P. News Release

CBP Seizes Cocaine, Heroin And Currency In Mayaguez And San Juan Port Inspections

190 Kilos Of Cocaine, 2.06 Kilos Of Heroin And 196,625 In US Dollars Seized In Four Different Events

(Tuesday, August 30, 2011)

San Juan, P.R. – In four different incidents this weekend, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 190.476 kilos (419.93 pounds) of cocaine and 4.54 kilos of heroin (10.14 pounds).

In San Juan, during the inspection of the vessel M/V Sydney Express arriving from Caucedo, Dominican Republic, CBP officers referred a ship’s container for secondary inspection after noticing a discrepancy in the arrival manifest and a container seal.

Upon opening the container for examination, four large duffel bags were found next to the door, containing 125 packages of suspected narcotics. A field test proved positive for cocaine. The seized cocaine weighed 135.2 kilos (298.12 pounds), with an estimated value of $3,380,000. Shipment of the container originated in Spain and it was trans-shipped through Caucedo.

Later in the afternoon another container was examined and upon inspection two duffle bags were found containing 49 packages of suspected narcotics. Field testing revealed two of the packages contained heroin and the remaining 47 tested positive for cocaine. A total of 51.15 kilos of cocaine (112.77 pounds) and 2.06 kilos of heroin (4.54 pounds) were seized, with an estimated value of $1,074,150 for the cocaine and $164,800 for the heroin.

In Mayaguez, during the inspection of the ferry M/V Caribbean Fantasy arriving from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, a CBP Border Patrol K-9 alerted positive to the odor of narcotics on an arriving Chevy Pickup truck.

In secondary inspection CBP officers removed a bolt from the truck's differential and noticed a white powdery substance, which field tested positive to cocaine.

Inside the differential CBP officers found four packs of suspected narcotics, which later field tested positive to cocaine. The four packs weighed 4.126 kilos (9.10 pounds) with an estimated value of $103,150.

The driver and owner of the truck, Maximo De La Rosa, 53, a citizen of the Dominican Republic and legal permanent resident of the U.S., was arrested. The U.S. Attorney's office accepted to prosecute the case.

Later in the day during an outbound currency inspection of two ferry passengers traveling together, the female declared that she was traveling with $300 and the male declared to be traveling with $3,700. Upon inspection of their individual luggage, bundles of U.S. dollars were found. The male passenger had $91,746, and the female had $104,897 and totaled $196,625.

The custody of all the seized narcotics, currency and the arrested individual was transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.

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 the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Contacts For This News Release
Jeffrey Quinones
CBP Public Affairs
Phone: (787) 607-2689

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