Stowaway Smuggler Caught in San Juan Harbor With Nearly 800 Pounds of Cocaine

A predawn interagency operation in San Juan Harbor led to the arrest of a stowaway smuggler and the seizure of nearly 800 pounds of cocaine worth more than $5 million, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.

The incident unfolded just before 6 a.m. on January 28 as the tug Signet Thunder was towing the barge San Juan-Jax Bridge toward the Old Army Terminal. While underway, a crewmember from an assist tug boarded the barge and discovered a stowaway, prompting an immediate call to Coast Guard Sector San Juan on VHF Channel 16.

Coast Guard watchstanders launched a response from Station San Juan and alerted Homeland Security Task Force partners, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Caribbean Air and Marine Branch and Office of Field Operations, as well as Puerto Rico Police marine units. An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast was issued to warn nearby vessel traffic.

Responding crews soon located a suspect in the water along with 10 bales of suspected cocaine. The drugs weighed approximately 358 kilograms—about 789 pounds—and carry an estimated wholesale value exceeding $5 million. The suspect was taken into custody and faces federal drug trafficking charges.

After the recovery, Coast Guard Sector Boarding Team members and CBP officers conducted a full inspection of both the tug and barge, finding no additional stowaways or contraband. The suspect and seized narcotics were transferred to Homeland Security Task Force–San Juan partners at Coast Guard Base San Juan.

“This case highlights the strong coordination between Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, and Puerto Rico Police units,” said Cmdr. Matthew Romano, Sector San Juan chief of response. Romano also credited the crew of Signet Thunder for their actions, calling them an example of the maritime community’s role in safeguarding U.S. waterways.

The Coast Guard said the seizure is part of a broader, whole-of-government effort to secure maritime approaches in the Eastern Caribbean and disrupt drug trafficking, human smuggling, and transnational criminal networks operating at sea.

Related Reading

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• EU Escalates Crackdown on Russia’s Shadow Fleet With Full Maritime Services Ban
• India’s Coast Guard Busts International Oil Smuggling Ring as Enforcement Pressure Mounts

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