U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations first spotted trouble on May 13, when crews tracked a suspicious 25-foot blue yola-type vessel northwest of Puerto Rico through the night. The following day, guided by a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter overhead, CBP marine interdiction teams moved in north of San Juan and used air disabling fire to bring the boat to a halt. Agents ultimately recovered five bales, about 178 kilograms, roughly 391 pounds, of cocaine and detained three people. The suspects and the seized narcotics were transferred to Homeland Security Task Force investigators for the next phase of the case.
CBP video shows disabling fire takedown
A video released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on DVIDS captures the coordinated air and sea takedown as the Black Hawk circles above and marine units close in from the water. In the footage, people aboard the fleeing vessel can be seen tossing packages into the ocean while CBP boats maneuver to board. Officers later recovered the bales along with several electronic devices.
The DVIDS page, produced by CBP's public affairs unit, lists the operation dates as May 13 and 14 and identifies the seizure as five bales totaling about 178 kilograms. The video went public on May 27, a late release that helped rekindle media attention on what had already been a high-stakes interdiction.
Officials tie the case to Caribbean trafficking
CBP officials say the interception highlights a broader Caribbean trafficking corridor that channels narcotics toward the U.S. mainland, with South Florida serving as a major entry and distribution hub, according to CBS12. Caribbean Air and Marine Branch Director Christopher Hunter praised the crews for what he called the "decisive use of air disabling fire" that stopped the fleeing vessel before it could slip away.
Agents identified the three detainees as nationals of the Dominican Republic and turned them over to investigators for further questioning and processing.
Related seizure off South Florida
The Puerto Rico bust was not the only big score for federal crews in recent days. On May 29, the U.S. Coast Guard reported seizing roughly 900 pounds of cocaine from a vessel just one mile east of Cape Florida, a load officials valued at about 6.7 million dollars. According to a release from the U.S. Coast Guard, Station Miami Beach personnel teamed up with CBP Air and Marine Operations and CBP Office of Field Operations to intercept that boat, then handed the narcotics and suspects to the Drug Enforcement Administration's Miami Division.
Together, the South Florida and Puerto Rico seizures underscore how interdictions in the Caribbean and off the Florida coast often fit into the same larger enforcement picture, targeting routes traffickers have relied on for years.
What happens next
Following the boarding north of Puerto Rico, CBP agents transferred custody of the three suspects and the recovered cocaine to Homeland Security Task Force investigators, CBS12 reports. Investigators are expected to comb through the seized electronics and other evidence as part of a broader probe, while federal prosecutors decide what charges to pursue, if any.
Officials have not released the names of the detainees, citing ongoing processing and investigative steps.
Viewed together, the DVIDS footage and Coast Guard press materials offer a window into how helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and fast-interceptor boats are deployed to hit drug loads before they ever reach U.S. shores. Federal agencies say publicly sharing video of these operations is meant both to showcase interagency coordination and to send a message to traffickers betting on the Caribbean corridor.
