Authorities in Puerto Rico on Monday seized cocaine worth an estimated $12 million off the island’s north coast. A police statement said officers intercepted a 26-foot-long boat without identification in waters off the town of Río Grande. Following a pursuit, three suspects were detained and more than 1,800 pounds of cocaine were found on board.
Police said federal authorities are taking over the case. This is one of the biggest seizures in Puerto Rican waters in recent years. The U.S. territory has long served as a transit point for drugs being smuggled into the U.S. mainland and Europe.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, authorities seized roughly 214 pounds of cocaine hidden in a cargo ship that arrived in San Juan on Feb. 26. That haul was worth approximately $1.7 million. Earlier this year, CBP agents worked with the U.S. Coast Guard to seize 10 bales of suspected cocaine off the coast of Puerto Rico after receiving reports of suspicious activity involving two vessels. The bales weighed nearly 780 pounds and were estimated to have a street value of more than $5 million altogether. At the end of last year, CBP seized almost 1,000 pounds of cocaine from a cargo trailer in San Juan.