Coast Guard offloads $4.3 million in seized cocaine, transfers 2 smugglers to DEA custody in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos offloaded 388 pounds (176 kgs) of seized cocaine and transferred custody of two smugglers to DEA Special Agents in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Sunday. The interdiction is the result of multi-agency efforts in support of the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force, while the seized cocaine is estimated to have a wholesale value of $4.3 million dollars.  The apprehended smugglers are U.S. citizens, who face federal prosecution in Puerto Rico on criminal charges including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance aboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. The charges carry a minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of imprisonment for life.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Helena B. Daniel and Max Pérez-Bouret, Chief of the Transnational Organized Crime Section are prosecuting the case.