MAYAGÜEZ, Puerto Rico –Late yesterday, Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG) federal law enforcement authorities seized 165 kilos (363.8 pounds) of cocaine from inside a green single engine fiberglass vessel, which attempted to illegally enter the western coast of the island. 

Today, Rudy Apolinar Mejía-Santana and Guillermo Jiménez-Jiménez, citizens of the Dominican Republic, made an initial appearance before US District Court Judge Bruce McGiverin, on charges of aiding and abetting the importation of a controlled substance into the Unites States, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and conspiracy to import a controlled substance into the United States.  Assistant United States Attorney José Contreras is in charge of the prosecution.

In the early Wednesday morning hours, while conducting a border security patrol, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) aircraft detected a single engine fiberglass vessel, with two person on board heading east-southeast at about 7 knots, with no navigation lights.

A CBP Marine Interceptor and a CBP helicopter were launched to intercept, while the aircraft remained overhead with constant surveillance of the target.

At approximately 2:30 AM the CBP Marine Interceptor began pursuit of vessel by a CBP medium lift helicopter that provided illumination from the air, but the vessel failed to heave and performed aggressive evasive maneuvers to avoid interception.

Attempting to elude interception a US Coast Guard cutter Resolute eventually stopped the vessel approximately 12 nautical miles north of Mona Island.  

The vessel, a green fiberglass hull vessel with a single 115 HP Yamaha engine, was transported by USCG Resolute to the Mayagüez Port of entry for secondary inspection.

The vessel was x-rayed by CBP Field Operations, finding bricks of suspected contraband, a sample of which field tested positive to cocaine. 

A total of 150 bricks of cocaine were retrieved from the boat, with a total weight of 165 kilos (363.8 pounds).

The estimated street value of the cocaine is $4,125,000.

The custody of the vessel, contraband and the two subjects was transferred to the Marine Interdiction Group of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.