Federal authorities arrested a fugitive alleged drug kingpin Saturday after a decade-long chase through the Caribbean marked by his narrow escapes and public taunting that he paid off police to remain free.
Known as the Pablo Escobar of the Caribbean, Jose Figueroa Agosto was caught wearing a wig while driving through a working-class Dominican neighborhood of [...]
It’s hard to hear this man’s conviction was overturned, especially when you consider his actions caused the death of at least one. The article reads like a TACLET on board the USS McCampbell made the interdiction back in 2003. Nice job on the leg work guys, too bad its been undone on the back end.
A [...]
Guatemala’s navy captured a makeshift submarine loaded with five tonnes of cocaine bound for the United States, the Guatemalan military said on Sunday. The navy, which was working with the US Drug Enforcement Administration on the operation, stopped the 17m vessel on Friday off Guatemala’s Pacific coast and arrested four Colombian men on board.
‘There was [...]
Fishing boats are one of the latest trends in drug trafficking. From large commercial fishing boats to small fishing vessels; from the rivers of Thailand to the Caribbean, to the wide open Atlantic Ocean, fishing boats are being used more and more frequently as a means of smuggling drugs.
In Asia, the Mekong [...]
The report provides no information on what the USCG’s involvement was in the investigation, but the agency is noted for its participation.
Fourteen Big Island residents, including the founder of the THC Ministry located on the Hilo Bayfront, were arrested Thursday on federal conspiracy and marijuana manufacturing, possession and distribution charges. All 14 pleaded not guilty [...]
On June 8, 2010 US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine units intercepted a 21-foot yola type vessel approximately 10 miles off the coast of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico transporting 20 kilos of cocaine. The three detainees had a rifle and two pistols, and had weighed anchor around 35 miles from the eastern [...]
We all know the hundreds of stories about ways drugs are smuggled into this country. A bunch of us have had the thrill of victory finding drugs in fuel tanks, ballast tanks, or false compartments. Some of us have even been luck enough to just find the drugs lying out in plain sight. Here are some recent attempts [...]
Federal officials seized 1,398 pounds of marijuana after thwarting a smuggling at sea attempt along the San Diego County coastline Monday. At about 5 p.m. on July 5, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Marine Interdiction Agents and a CBP officer on maritime patrol intercepted a private vessel, the Oh Yeah, as it crossed into [...]
Below is the best analysis of DTO sub-surface smuggling I’ve read. Finding a working submarine in an Ecuadoran river is huge. Capable of diving to nearly 100 ft below the water’s surface with ten tons of dope at a price tag of $700,000 makes it an easy choice for traffickers moving to avoid detection.
Acting [...]
NBC2 -
Police said a person discovered marijuana while walking down Daytona Beach on Sunday. The discovery was made in the 3500 block South on the beach at about 12 p.m. Police said it was tightly packed in a container, but it looked like it had been in the water for a long time because there [...]
Radio New Zealand -
An anonymous tip to the U.S. Coast Guard office in American Samoa prompted a joint operation with local authorities to board and search the MV Sili for allegedly bringing illegal drugs into the main island of Tutuila. One person was reportedly detained.
The MV Sili is owned by the American Samoa Government and [...]
If the below report is correct it looks like the cartels have improved on their self propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) design and made a vessel that can submerge completely underwater.
This presents some pretty significant interdiction and national security issues.
New York Post -
Authorities seized a stealth submarine in Ecuador that was built for smuggling tons of cocaine. [...]
Colombia Reports -
In a joint operation between the Colombian Coast Guard and Air Force, a one ton haul of high-purity cocaine was seized from a speed boat carrying the load, following a high speed chase 35 nautical miles off the coast of Colombian port city Cartagena.
According to authorities, the drug haul was camouflaged inside the [...]
The folks over at the Multijurisdictional Couterdrug Task Force Training Center are currently offering a webcast dealing with the ties between drug trafficking and terrorism. This webcast has some pretty insigtful information that pertains to our career field and dual narcotics/force protection mission. Head over here to check out the webcast. Check out the details [...]
D7 Public Affairs -
Crewmembers from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dolphin intercepted nearly 300 pounds of marijuana from a vessel west of Bimini, Bahamas, Sunday. While conducting a routine patrol, the crew of the Dolphin conducted a boarding of a 25-foot cuddy cabin vessel west of Bimini. During an initial safety inspection, members of the [...]
Kuam News -
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sequoia, homeported in Apra Harbor, Guam, received a certificate of appreciation from the Drug Enforcement Administration for outstanding contributions in the field of drug law enforcement this week. The accolade stems from its interdiction of the vessel Kin Yue 1 in December 2009. The Chinese flagged vessel [...]
Fox News —
U.S. authorities have seized 3,269 pounds of cocaine from a rusty Panama-flagged fishing boat and arrested five Honduran crew members, officials announced Monday. The Drug Enforcement Administration said a Coast Guard unit seized the fishing boat, the Two Brothers, some 34 miles northwest of the capital of the Dutch Caribbean island of [...]
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. The Coast Guard has seized almost 800 pounds of marijuana off a boat traveling from Bimini. The Coast Guard Cutter Diamondback was dispatched after officials received reports of a suspicious boat around midnight Saturday. Crew members boarded the 20-foot vessel and found 47 bricks of pot, worth about $725,000. Two [...]
During a routine test flight, a MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Take-off and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) supported its first drug interdiction with USS McInerney (FFG 8) and a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (USCG LEDET).
McInerney launched one of its two embarked Fire Scout’s to test different functions and settings when it acquired a suspected narcotics “go-fast” on [...]
Calling a little, sniffing robot a “ferret” raises hopes that it’ll be cooler than the mockup pictured, but the cargo-screening device in development has capabilities that outshine its aesthetic shortcomings. Though still in its beginning stages — working prototypes will be ready in about two years — this robot could revolutionize airport and seaport security [...]
