SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On April 29, 2026, Air and Marine Operations, an operational component of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, interdicted a vessel, arrested three Venezuelan nationals, and seized 1,418 pounds (643.3 kilograms) of cocaine southeast of Puerto Rico.
“The U.S. Attorney’s office remains committed to the investigation and prosecution of transnational drug traffickers,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “We will find them and bring them before the courts to face Justice.”
“Our teams demonstrated exceptional coordination and vigilance in intercepting this vessel and preventing a significant amount of dangerous contraband from reaching our shores,” said Christopher Hunter, Director of the Caribbean Air and Marine Branch. “This operation underscores our commitment to protecting the people of Puerto Rico and maintaining the integrity of our borders.”
At approximately 10:52 p.m. on April 28, 2026, an AMO Caribbean Air and Marine Branch Multi-Role Enforcement Aircraft detected a vessel of interest about 35 nautical miles southeast of Puerto Rico. The vessel, a 30-foot yola-type boat with two outboard engines, was observed with multiple fuel containers and suspected contraband aboard.
An AMO UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter kept surveillance while AMO Coastal Interceptor Vessels from Ponce and Fajardo moved to interdict the suspect vessel.
At approximately 12:58 a.m. April 29, 2026, AMO marine interdiction agents intercepted the vessel after agents fired two warning rounds that prompted the vessel operator to stop his vessel.
Charlie G. Marval-Henriquez, Jhoan A. Rodríguez-Núñez, and Josué A. Rodríguez-Núñez, Venezuelan nationals on board the vessel were taken into custody. Agents discovered multiple bricks of cocaine concealed within 20 black fuel containers. All three persons on board the vessel were charged pursuant to a criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute and importing cocaine.
The Homeland Security Task Force leads the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Camille García is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
HSTF San Juan comprises agents and officers from the following federal partners: FBI, ICE-HSI, CBP (OFO, AMO and Border Patrol), the U.S. Marshals Service for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, DEA, ATF, IRS, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of State, and the U.S. Secret Service, the Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA, TSA, FAA, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The HSTF also has the following state and local law enforcement partners as participating agencies: the Puerto Rico Police Department; the San Juan, Carolina, Guaynabo, Barceloneta, and Ponce Municipal Police Departments, the Puerto Rico National Guard – Counter Drug Program; the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Service (Hacienda); the Puerto Rico Port Authority; and the Virgin Islands Police Department.
