The Puerto Rico Police Department and U.S. federal authorities seized more than a ton of cocaine found on a launch 30 kilometers (18 miles) off the coast of the southern city of Guayama.
The operation was carried out Monday, PRPD chief Hector Pesquera said, adding that the two men aboard the smuggling vessel were arrested.
Authorities found the drugs thanks to a tip from a citizen who noticed the launch’s crew behaving strangely when he towed the vessel with his boat, the PRPD said.
Police noticed something suspicious in one of the launch’s fuel tanks and a closer inspection revealed 38 bales of cocaine with a total weight of 1,000 kilos (2202 pounds).
The PRPD has stepped up cooperation with federal law enforcement in response to an increase in drug smuggling activity in and around Puerto Rico, Pesquera said.
