SANTO DOMINGO: The Coast Guard apprehended five smugglers in the Caribbean Sea with approximately 215 pounds of cocaine.
The wholesale value of the cocaine is estimated around $3.2 million, according to the Coast Guard. The drugs were transferred to San Juan on Saturday with two Guyanese and three Jamaican smugglers along in a Guyanese finishing vessel in the Caribbean Sea.
On the afternoon of July 2 while on a routine patrol the crew of the Dauntless detected a suspicious fishing vessel named Chrispoph that was approximately 170 miles south of the Dominic Republic.
The Coast Guard contacted the Guyanese government, and authorized the Coast Guard to stop and search the vessel.
The Dauntless boarding team did a preliminary search of the fishing vessel, where they located five bales carrying 98 packages of suspected contraband.
While on board, the boarding team received information from the master that the vessel was taking on water due to a broken shaft seal.
Despite the efforts of the Dauntless boarding team that had multiple pumps to keep the water out of the vessel, the flooding caused the vessel to sink.
The Dauntless transferred the cocaine and accused smugglers to the William Trump to be transported to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where they were taken into custody by the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force.
The Dauntless is a 210-foot medium endurance cutter home ported in Galveston. The ship and crew help execute and search rescue missions in support of Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.
