Puerto Rico Crime and Policing

Authorities in Puerto Rico intercepted a 26‑foot boat with no identification off the north‑coast town of Río Grande on Monday and seized more than 1,800 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated street value of about $12 million. After a pursuit, police detained three suspects on board, and federal authorities have taken over the case, underscoring the island’s role as a major transit hub for cocaine bound for the U.S. mainland and Europe. Puerto Rican officials say it is one of the largest drug seizures in the island’s waters in recent years, coming on the heels of several other large interdictions in nearby waters and at the port of San Juan. Those recent hauls include roughly 214 pounds of cocaine worth about $1.7 million hidden on a cargo ship in February, nearly 780 pounds of suspected cocaine seized at sea in January, and almost 1,000 pounds taken from a cargo trailer late last year, illustrating sustained smuggling pressure on U.S. maritime borders.