AGUADILLA, Puerto Rico –US. Border Patrol and Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces for Rapid Action (FURA, for its Spanish acronym) agents intercepted Wednesday an outbound 18 -ft vessel where four men transported over $300,000 in bulk cash, weapons and ammunition.
“One of the most important activities of a Border Patrol agent is line watch, which involves the detection, prevention and apprehension of smugglers at or near the coastal border by maintaining surveillance from a covert position,” stated Scott Garrett, Acting Chief Patrol Agent for the Ramey Border Patrol Sector. “This interception demonstrates that Transnational Criminal Organizations will try any means to go across international borders trying to elude detection.”
On Mar.2, Ramey Station agents detected an outbound vessel four miles from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico without navigational lights. Agents contacted a FURA marine unit and coordinated a successful intercept.
Border Patrol agents arrested three non-citizens from the Dominican Republic along with one United States Citizen. Agents seized $349, 950.00 in US currency, the 18-ft red homemade vessel, two outboard engines, 2 firearms, 3 magazines, 71 rounds of ammunition, one tablet, one GPS and two cellular phones.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) assumed custody of contraband and the individuals for investigation and prosecution.
The Ramey Sector is one of the twenty-one Sectors spread out across the United States. Encompassing the U.S. territorial islands of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, it is the only Border Patrol Sector located outside the continental United States. The Sector’s entire border area is made up of coastline and its area of responsibility is made up of some 6,000 square miles of land and water area, including the twelve-mile band of territorial water surrounding the Islands.
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