No arrests have been made and police have not identified the suspects. Fuentes was also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, DEA task force officer Kelly Baart wrote in the complaint. Federal authorities confiscated the narcotics. This study questions the effectiveness of these approaches to reduce street crime. A court-authorized search yielded approximately $1,000 from the trunk of the vehicle, as well as two cellphones. At approximately 4:40 p.m., agents and officers observed Centeno-Rosado exit the location carrying a heavy duffel bag and get into a livery car. Si vous souhaitez personnaliser vos choix, cliquez sur Grer les paramtres de confidentialit. Puerto Rico February 21 Reggae singer, cop among those arrested in Puerto Rico drug bust A reggaeton singer and police officer are among the two dozen people arrested in a Puerto Rican. The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Training and Technical Assistance Center (PDMP TTAC) reports 2020 data and 2021 features of the Puerto Rico Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). Make no mistake, law enforcement will spare no resource to bring them to justice for their crimes in an effort to maintain the safety of the communities we serve, said Inspector in Charge Philip R. Bartlett. While charges in the indictment relate to USPS packages containing approximately 15 kilograms of cocaine, the investigation resulted in the seizure of roughly twice that amount, for a total of 30 kilograms of cocaine. Cocaine kilograms concealed in lunchbox in mail. The Coast Guard arrested three people from the vessel and confiscated the semi-submersible boat. By United States Coast Guard. There is no evidence of oil impacting the waterway. The seized cocaine has an estimated wholesale value of approximately $51 million dollars. Postal Service. 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. Border Patrol officials seized a massive amount of cocaine during a drug bust in Puerto Rico this week.. Border Patrol agents in the Ramey sector and Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces for Rapid Action seized 343 lbs. Coast Guard, partner agencies manage oil clean up in Delaware. Lorsque vous utilisez nos sites et applications, nous utilisons des, authentifier les utilisateurs, appliquer des mesures de scurit, empcher les spams et les abus; et. . (U.S. Coast Guard photo), Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. 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. 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. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. If this tactic was designed to throw off law enforcement, it did not work. The organization run by Mendez and Matos dealt heroin supplied by a man from the Bronx, Southwick said. 9 Arrested, $450k in Cocaine Seized After Large NJ, Pa. Drug Bust 'Operation Yo-Yo' a large-scale narcotics investigation initiated by the DEA and Cape may authorities, led to the arrest of 9 . Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. In all, Baart wrote that the ring involved at least five houses. Other arrests involving the ring include: Got a tip, comment or story idea? A locked padlock Eagle has served as a classroom at sea to future Coast Guard officers since 1946, offering an at-sea leadership and professional development experience as part of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy curriculum. 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. This Supreme Court Case Could Redefine Crime, YellowstoneBackers Wanted to Cash OutThen the Streaming Bubble Burst, How Countries Leading on Early Years of Child Care Get It Right, Female Execs Are Exhausted, Frustrated and Heading for the Exits, No Major Offer Expected on Childcare in UK Budget, Biden Gives Medal of Honor to Trailblazing Special Forces Member, Oils $128 Billion Handout as Doubts Grow About Fossil Fuels, Climate Change Is Launching a MutantSeed Space Race, This Former Factory Is Now New Taipeis Edgiest Project, What Do You Want to See in a Covid Memorial? 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. A federal grand jury in Puerto Rico returned a four-count indictment against the three individuals arrested during the alleged smuggling attempt. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Puerto Rico's only zoo is closing after years of suspected negligence, lack of resources Fox News 16:27 28-Feb-23. The drug bust took place near Mona Island,. SAN JUAN The Coast Guard Cutters Mohawk and Charles David Jr. transferred custody of two suspected smugglers and $8.5 million in seized cocaine to federal agents at a Coast Guard Base in Puerto Rico on Thursday, following the interdiction of a drug smuggling go-fast vessel in the Caribbean Sea.. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 HoustonsWhats Your Point? Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting. Tirado, Fuentes, Angel Negron-Collazo and Rahfet Shehadeh were all arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and heroin, the complaint said. 17A in the Bronx yielded another $32,000 cash, various records and a Rolex watch. Twenty of the accused have been processes and booked. Syracuse police detective Scott Fura conducted numerous controlled buys of drugs from Fuentes and Negron-Collazo at a house on Turtle Street, according to Baart. Boom and Bust in Puerto Rico is the story of how the demise of an obscure tax policy that encouraged investment and economic growth led to escalating budget deficits and the government's shocking default of its $70 billion debt. Coddington also possessed a small quantity of fentanyl on his person. The investigation into the ring spanned four months and started in May 2020, according to Baart. Amazon Pauses Construction on Second Headquarters in Virginia as It Cuts Jobs, Amazon Is Closing Its Cashierless Stores in NYC, San Francisco and Seattle, iPhone Maker Plans $700 Million India Plant in Shift From China, Stock Traders Are Ignoring Blaring Bond Alarms, Russia Is Getting Around Sanctions to Secure Supply of Key Chips for War. The men arrested today are believed to be the ringleaders of this large scale drug organization that . Frequent travel in connection with this work allegedly served as a cover for narcotics-related activity. Defense attorneys for Aponte-Guzman and Maisonet-Lopez did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 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. 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). U.S. DOJ in Puerto Rico said $75 million in cocaine was found, Puerto Rico cocaine seizures outpacing previous two years, Photographer: Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images. 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. 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. On Sept. 6, a bystander contacted Coast Guard Station Monterey watchstanders reporting a person was stranded on Greyhound Rock, San Francisco. 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. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. A major drug pipeline from Puerto Rico to Syracuse has been dismantled as a result of this homegrown investigation, said DEA Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan. Germany is making slow progress in enforcing sanctions against Russian oligarchs and institutions, according to government numbers seen by Reuters on Saturday. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. The following day, on April 29, 2021, members of NYDETF and USPIS tracked a package destined for 1871 Barnes Avenue in the Bronx. Puerto Rico's lone zoo to be permanently closed after years of complaints Chicago Sun-Times 19:39 28-Feb-23. The duo were beaten with an exercise weight, a piece of wood and a deep fryer, authorities said. Coast Guard offloads $51 million in cocaine in San Juan, Puerto Rico, following at-sea drug bust near the British Virgin Islands. This summer, Coast Guard Academy Cadets completed a transatlantic voyage and experienced port calls in Azores, Iceland, and Bermuda. Cocaine continues to be an illegal drug anchored in New York, said DEA Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan. Since June, 15 people with connections to the ring have been arrested and federally charged, Southwick said. More than 30 people were arrested in Hampton Roads in a massive drug bust. Sector San Francisco launched a helicopter from Air Station San Francisco. Bob Priceserves as associate editor and senior news contributor for theBreitbart Texas-Border team. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. NEW YORK, Nov 2 (Reuters) - U.S. law enforcement officials seized more than one ton of cocaine allegedly shipped to the New York area from Puerto Rico, the largest bust of the drug in the region in over a decade, authorities said on Tuesday. Syracuse, N.Y. Four Syracuse men are facing federal drug charges after a four-month investigation found them to be distributing cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico and heroin, according to a complaint filed in federal court. This disruption and seizure were the result of multi-agency efforts involving the Caribbean Border Interagency Group and the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force. Mendez and Matos operated in the West Side of Syracuse, Baart wrote. 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. 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 men were arrested on Sept. 16, when police searched three separate houses involved in the ring, Baart wrote. Jackson managed to flee and was later hospitalized, authorities said. . 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. Bankman-Fried can have flip phone, limited internet while on bail, US proposes, Biden assembles team of allies to boost re-election campaign, Reporting by Luc Cohen; Editing by Mark Porter, Michigan judge dismisses school staff as defendants in lawsuits over mass shooting, American Airlines, flight attendants union seek mediation in contract negotiations, German sanctions against Russian oligarchs advancing slowly, Turkey's pro-Kurdish party calls for opposition unity after split, Russian defence minister pays rare visit to troops in Ukraine, CORRECTED Italy's Meloni says on track to rebuild 'excellent' relations with UAE, EU releases funds, prepares aid flight for eastern Congo, Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals. Thanks for contacting us. Tirado was identified as a drug supplier for Luiz Mendez and Samuel Matos, according to the complaint. 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. Puerto Rico police arrest 800 suspects, solve 43 killings November 2, 2021 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) Authorities in Puerto Rico announced Tuesday that they have arrested 800 suspects and solved 43 killings as a result of a 45-day operation targeting criminals across the U.S. territory. The lunchboxes bore images of popular cartoon characters. The indictment includes charges againstdefendants Arturo Gonzlez-Quiones, Freiman Yepes-Ospina, and Jos lvaro Crdoba-Rentera forconspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to operate and embark in a semi-submersible vessel without nationality, and to navigate thereon into and through waters beyond the outer limit of any countrys territorial sea, with the intent to evade detection, in violation of the Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act (DTVIA), officials reported. This disruption and seizure is the result of multi-agency efforts involving the Caribbean Border Interagency Group and the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Puerto Rico's only zoo is closing after years of suspected negligence, lack of resources Fox News 11:27 28-Feb-23. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. If convicted, each defendant faces sentences from 10 years to life in prison for the drug trafficking charges and up to 15 years for the DTVIA-related charges. . Members of Group T-41 followed the car and stopped it in Yonkers, N.Y. Gregory H. Magee, Sector San Juan commander. The seizure led to the arrest and indictment of three people for a variety of drug trafficking and maritime law violations. For example, Puerto Rico's Medicaid program began covering its first drug to cure hepatitis C in March 2020. Local police and Department of Homeland Security agents responded Monday to find 739 pounds of cocaine bricks concealed inside duffel bags on board the decrepit vessel.