BOSTON (AP) Drug charges have been filed against 21 people accused of running a cocaine and fentanyl ring that spanned Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine and Puerto Rico, Acting . Border Patrol seizes more than $4 million in Puerto Rican cocaine bust We've received your submission. 26 Puerto Rico is also temporarily increasing (through September 30, 2021) physician payments to a minimum of 70 percent of Medicare rates, which is more in line with the national average for state Medicaid programs. 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. On Sept. 6, a bystander contacted Coast Guard Station Monterey watchstanders reporting a person was stranded on Greyhound Rock, San Francisco. Boston Based International Cocaine Ring Busted by Postal Inspectors The men were arrested on Sept. 16, when police searched three separate houses involved in the ring, Baart wrote. Puerto Rico sees a surge in tourism - the Guardian Coast Guard Nabs 2 Drug Smugglers With $8.5 Million In Cocaine On Boat 30 Members Of A Violent Gang Charged For Drug Trafficking In Mayagez Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). 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. This disruption and seizure is the result of multi-agency efforts involving the Caribbean Border Interagency Group and the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force. CBP's Air and Marine Operations unit was on routine patrol around 8 a.m. Thursday when the shots were fired about 12 miles (19 kilometers) off the coast from Cabo Rojo, a major drug smuggling. AMO agents assisted the U.S. Coast Guard in interdicting a semi-submersible vessel sailing toward Puerto Rico on April 8, according to information obtained from U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. Cape May bust breaks up cocaine network with links to Puerto Rico drug Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. 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. 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. Both are residents of New York. Puerto Rico will close its only zoo after longstanding complaints NBC News 16:34 28-Feb-23. Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Arraignments for three of the five defendants are scheduled for this afternoon before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Abraham Clott. 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. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. Arrests made in drug ring bust spanning Connecticut, Puerto Rico and Duarte faces the top narcotics charge of Operating as a Major Trafficker. End of Lockdown Brings Wave of Cocaine to Puerto Rico - Business Insider . The seizure led to the arrest and indictment of three people for a variety of drug trafficking and maritime law violations. Editors note: This article initially misstated the weight of the drug shipment as 1.25 tons. The actual weight is 5,515 pounds or 2.76 tons. They are scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on November 17, 2021. Officers found 136 bricks of cocaine . Packages of cocaine were sent from Puerto Rico to a house at 2218 Midland Ave. in the South Side, Baart wrote. The charges and allegations are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. These USPS packages contained a total of eight kilograms of cocaine concealed inside childrens lunchboxes and a zip binder. 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. The men arrested today are believed to be the ringleaders of this large scale drug organization that . 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.". 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. Between May of 2020 and April of 2021, fingerprint analysis allegedly linked the defendants to six packages. "This seizure signifies a shift in the illegal drug landscape in New York," Donovan said in a statement. CBP makes massive cocaine bust in Puerto Rico | Fox News All rights reserved (About Us). The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Bensalem police shut down alleged drug operation based in apartment At three other houses located at 722 E. Laurel St., 300 Woodruff Ave. and 534 Stafford Ave. detectives found more than 2.5 kilograms of cocaine and more than 40 grams of heroin that was separated into more than 1,000 bags, according to Baart. 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. The specific address was not included in the complaint. 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. Previously worked as a correspondent in Venezuela and Argentina. There, detectives found four guns in a safe, Baart wrote: a Taurus PT 809 9mm handgun, a Ruger revolver, a Highpoint .40-caliber and a Glock handle handgun with no top slide. 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. Members of NYDETF observed the package being delivered to the Colden Avenue address on January 22, 2021. On June 3, 2021, members of NYDETF stopped a car in which Garcia was an occupant. DEA: Three Face Charges for Part in Largest New York-Destined Cocaine 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. Early this morning, agents, officers and inspectors arrested Duarte at his home at 237 Hoover Avenue, Yonkers, N.Y. and recovered approximately 400 grams of a white powdery substance, some of which tested positive as cocaine in a field test, and multiple cellphones from the residence in a court-authorized search. Police Commissioner Antonio Lpez Figueroa said police also seized more than 170 weapons and some 320 pounds (146 kilograms) of cocaine. Our strong partnerships, as in the case of the British Virgin Islands and island nations throughout our area of responsibility, are key to achieving safe and secure maritime borders from drug trafficking and other smuggling threats in the Eastern Caribbean. Learn more. On April 14, 2021, agents and officers conducted a court-authorized search of Coddingtons residence at 21-27 149th Street in Flushing, Queens. Puerto Rico, and United States - specifically Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Germany is making slow progress in enforcing sanctions against Russian oligarchs and institutions, according to government numbers seen by Reuters on Saturday. Frequently, the return addresses were in New York, despite the packages originating in Puerto Rico. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. 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. Members of Group T-41 followed the car and stopped it in Yonkers, N.Y. A . 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. The drug bust took place near Mona Island,. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - On November 9, 2020, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging 20 violent gang members with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and firearms violations, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto . 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 federal investigation found the ring to also have ties to New York City, Richard Southwick, a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Northern District of New York, said in a press release. The following day, on April 29, 2021, members of NYDETF and USPIS tracked a package destined for 1871 Barnes Avenue in the Bronx. Sweeney allegedly exited the residence with a gray shopping bag, discarded what appeared to be a white USPS box, and gave the bag to Coddington. The house on East Laurel Street was identified in the complaint by Baart as a stash house. Top Row (left to right): Ramito Ramirez-Barreto, Iban Barreto . 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. (U.S. Coast Guard photo), Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. Federal authorities confiscated the narcotics. 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. 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. He had approximately $12,000 on his person. 25 Members Of A Violent Gang Charged With Drug Trafficking In Mayagez 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. Garcia was arrested in front of a recording studio located at 281 S. Broadway in Yonkers. 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. Reports on the New York federal courts. NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James and Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) New York Division announced today the arrests of 12 individuals for their roles in a drug trafficking operation that transported cocaine from Puerto Rico to Buffalo . DEA: Bust rids Puerto Rico of 'most hard-core' traffickers Puerto Rico's only zoo is closing after years of suspected negligence, lack of resources Fox News 16:27 28-Feb-23. A court-authorized search yielded approximately $1,000 from the trunk of the vehicle, as well as two cellphones. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Despite the challenging sea state conditions and thanks to the close collaboration and coordination with our Royal Virgin Islands Police partners, our crews did an outstanding job in disrupting a major shipment of cocaine and keeping it from ever reaching the streets, said Capt. 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. Agents and officers recovered four kilograms of cocaine split between two lunchboxes, one gray and one red. The duo were beaten with an exercise weight, a piece of wood and a deep fryer, authorities said. The cause remains under investigation. Si vous ne souhaitez pas que nos partenaires et nousmmes utilisions des cookies et vos donnes personnelles pour ces motifs supplmentaires, cliquez sur Refuser tout. Anna Giaritelli, Homeland Security Reporter, Virginia Republicans give Trump an edge, but only DeSantis and Youngkin lead Biden, The ESG attack on energy becomes personal, The Debrief: Conn Carroll on HHS encouraging illegal child labor, WATCH: Steven Spielberg likens rise in antisemitism to 'Germany in the '30s', AOC gloats after construction of Virginia Amazon headquarters delayed as company cuts jobs, Alex Murdaugh trial: Watch the key video that could've sealed guilty murder verdict. The bust comes as authorities grapple with a 150% increase in cocaine seizures over the past year in the area, said Ray Donovan, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's special agent in charge for the New York division. Abstract. This month the DEA made the biggest meth bust in American history: 2200 pounds of meth, nearly 900 pounds of cocaine, and 13 pounds of heroin.