Inside ICE: Volume 4, Issue 2

800 Pounds of Cocaine and 55 Pounds of Heroin Seized in Puerto Rico

A crewmember of the Bolivian-flagged vessel Osiris II intercepted at high seas with more than 800 pounds of cocaine and 55 pounds of heroin, is taken into custody by ICE agents upon its arrival to the U.S. Coast Guard Base in San Juan.

The seized contraband was concealed in the forward bulk-head of the Osiris II and seized by ICE agents participating in the Caribbean Corridor Initiative.

A 130-foot Bolivian-flagged cargo vessel carrying approximately 800 pounds of cocaine and 55 pounds of brown heroin with an estimated street value of $8 million was escorted to the U.S. Coast Guard base in San Juan, Puerto Rico earlier this year. There, federal agencies participating in the Caribbean Corridor Initiative arrested the eight-member Colombian crew and seized the contraband.

The vessel Osiris II was intercepted by the Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma approximately 228 nautical miles southeast of the Dominican Republic. The Osiris II, which showed signs of distress, raised the interests of law enforcement organizations operating as part of the Caribbean Corridor Initiative, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force comprised of agents, officers and attorneys working for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico; the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).

After successful coordination between the crew of the USCG Cutter Tahoma, Caribbean Corridor participating agencies, and the government of Bolivia, USCG personnel boarded the Osiris II. A thorough inspection of the vessel by USCG personnel revealed that approximately 800 pounds of cocaine, 55 pounds of brown heroin, and a MAC 10 machine gun with a silencer was hidden in the forward bulkhead of the cargo vessel.

Federal officials subsequently arrested the eight-member Colombian crew. All are in U.S. Marshals custody awaiting the outcome of their criminal case.

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