SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers, collaborating with the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD), seized 24 pounds (11 kilos) of cocaine from a departing passenger at the Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport, bound to Hartford, Connecticut. The estimated value of the seized cocaine is $275,000.

“This collaboration between the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD) and CBP has created a greater force against criminal organizations in Puerto Rico and has made our communities safer,” stated Roberto Vaquero, Assistant Director of Field Operations for Border Security in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

On Jan. 15, the CBP Contraband Enforcement Team received a support request from the PRPD after a K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics in a suitcase.

Upon examination, CBP Officers discovered nine (9) brick shape objects in the suitcase, which tested positive to the properties of cocaine.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) HSI special agents assumed custody of the seized cocaine and arrested the luggage owner, for further investigation and prosecution for violation of title 21 United States Code, Section 841.

Before the December Christmas weekend, CBP and PRPD seized 44 pounds (20 kilos) of cocaine, worth $500,000, from departing passengers at the Luis Munoz Marine International Airport during two separate incidents.

CBP’s mission is to safeguard America’s borders thereby protecting the public from dangerous people and materials while enhancing the Nation’s global economic competitiveness by enabling legitimate trade and travel.