U.S. Coast Guard officers, working with Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Task Force partners, arrested a stowaway smuggler and seized a large quantity of cocaine during an early-morning operation in San Juan Harbor, Puerto Rico, on 28 January 2026.
Authorities said the seized cocaine weighed about 358 kilograms, or nearly 789 pounds, and had an estimated wholesale value of more than $5 million.
The drugs were recovered in 10 bales. The suspect was taken into custody and is expected to face federal drug trafficking charges.
The operation began shortly before 6 a.m. when Coast Guard Sector San Juan received a radio call on VHF Channel 16 from the tug vessel Signet Thunder.
The tug was towing the barge San Juan-JaxBridge towards the Old Army Terminal port facility when a crewmember from an assist tug boarded the barge and discovered a stowaway.
The vessel then stopped and waited for assistance.
Coast Guard watchstanders launched boats from Station San Juan and alerted Homeland
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