14 million dollars worth of drugs seized from vessel. Largest recorded seizure of heroin in the District of Puerto Rico
-- 6 crew members now in federal custody --
SAN JUAN, P.R. B Rosa Emilia Rodrguez-Vlez, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, Luis S. Fraticelli, Special Agent in Charge, San Juan Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Captain James Tunstall, Commander, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Sector San Juan; Manuel Oyola Torres, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jerome M. Harris, Special Agent in Charge, Caribbean Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Marcelino Borges, Director, Field Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Ismael Crespo, Resident Agent in Charge, Coast Guard Investigative Services (CGIS), announced today the seizure of approximately 396 kilograms of cocaine and 123 kilograms of heroin, the largest recorded seizure of heroin in the District of Puerto Rico.
This investigation is being handled by the FBI, San Juan, in conjunction with the federal Caribbean Corridor Initiative, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) consisting of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Coast Guard Investigative Services (CGIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Attorney' s Office in Puerto Rico.
The narcotics seizure occurred on the high seas, on February 23, 2007, after U.S. Coast Guard members detected a suspicious 40 foot A go-fast @ type vessel heading in a northerly direction towards the Eastern Caribbean. Authorities were able to successfully intercept the vessel after it made several attempts to evade capture. The master of the vessel claimed that the vessel was of Venezuelan registry. However, the Venezuelan authorities asserted that the vessel was not registered there. Upon boarding the vessel, the Coast Guard members discovered 18 bales of narcotics including approximately 396 kilograms of cocaine, and 123 kilograms of heroin. The six crew members aboard the go-fast boat were detained, and transported with the narcotics to the USCG Base in San Juan. The following crew members are now in federal custody, and are charged in a criminal complaint with a violation of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act:
1. Francisco Nueci Pena
2. Jose Fonseca Ineduar Ramrez
3. Gabriel Zarate Ramrez
4. Oscar Mesa Zambrano
5. Javier Mitchell Hunter
6. Pedro Safir Beltran Zapata
"This seizure is yet another success for the Caribbean Corridor Initiative, a federal multi-agency strike force focusing on the disruption of maritime drug trafficking in the Caribbean. By making these seizures of enormous amounts of narcotics on the high seas, we are preventing them from being brought into Puerto Rico and being distributed throughout the island and later part smuggled into the Continental U.S." said Rosa Emilia Rodrguez-Vlez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
"The seizure of these drugs demonstrates and maximizes the multi law enforcement agency coordination in combating international drug trafficking. The seizure of these drugs ensures that these drugs never hit the streets of Puerto Rico or the U.S.A., as well as demonstrates our commitment to protecting children from this bad and illegal lifestyle," said Luis Fraticelli, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI-San Juan Division.
The public is reminded that a criminal complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial. The U.S. government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case is being prosecuted by the Coordinator for the Caribbean Corridor Initiative of the U.S. Attorney 's Office, Assistant United States Attorney Timothy R. Henwood. |
