SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A Coast Guard Station San Juan boat crew working with Homeland Security Task Force - San Juan Region partner agencies interdicted a drug smuggling vessel and apprehended three men in Atlantic Ocean waters north of Puerto Rico, Jan. 14, 2026.
During the interdiction, law enforcement agents seized 16 bales of cocaine weighing a combined total of 506kgs/1,115.54 pounds, which are estimated to have a wholesale value of more than $7 million.
During patrol efforts, a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew detected a suspicious 25-foot blue and white panga type go-fast vessel in international waters north of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan diverted the cutter Joseph Tezanos and a Station San Juan 45-Response Boat Medium boat crew to interdict the suspect vessel. A Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine multi-role enforcement aircraft also responded and maintained aerial surveillance of the suspect vessel. Once on-scene, the Station San Juan boat crew, with the support of the CBP aircrew and the cutter Joseph Tezanos, successfully interdicted and took positive control of the suspect vessel. Following the interdiction, the Coast Guard boat crew embarked the three smugglers and recovered sixteen bales of contraband which tested positive for cocaine from the vessel. The contraband and suspects were later transferred to HSTF law enforcement partners in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“This successful narcotics interdiction highlights the efficient interoperability and strength within the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine Branch and our Homeland Security Task Force partner agencies to interdict drug smuggling vessels and secure the nation’s Eastern Caribbean maritime borders from this threat.” said Cmdr. Matthew Romano, Coast Guard Sector San Juan chief of response. “I commend the professionalism and coordination between all partners who contributed to this the interdiction. We are proud to stand the watch alongside our Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and our local law enforcement partners as we continue to relentlessly combat illicit trafficking throughout the waters of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.”
This counterdrug interdiction is part of the Homeland Security Task Force HSTF initiative established by Executive Order 14519. Protecting American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole of government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration the HSTF directs the full might of the United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Juan Region comprises agents and officers from Coast Guard Sector San Juan, the Coast Guard Investigative Service; the Drug Enforcement Administration Caribbean Division; the Federal Bureau of Investigation San Juan Field Office; United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations, Air and Marine Operations Caribbean Branch, and U.S. Border Patrol Ramey Sector; the United States Marshals Service Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Division – San Juan Field Office; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Miami Field Division; the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area - Puerto Rico / Virgin Islands; the Transportation Security Administration - Federal Air Marshal; the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security – RAC San Juan, the United States Secret Service and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico.
More information about the U.S. Coast Guard can be found at www.uscg.mil Follow @USCG on X and Instagram, like us on Facebook, subscribe on YouTube and follow LinkedIn – connect with us.
Make a difference on land, at sea or in the air with the Coast Guard. Visit GoCoastGuard.com to find out how to be part of our team.