The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday that it recently intercepted a suspected smuggling boat carrying cocaine and marijuana worth $1.3 million.
On Feb. 21, the Coast Guard Cutter Richard Etheridge found and boarded the vessel 8 miles offshore from Miami.
Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations personnel boarded the alleged smuggling boat and found 17 pounds of marijuana and 174 pounds of cocaine, the Coast Guard said in its release.
Two suspects on board the boat were taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations.
The suspects are Rudalph Hylton and Aldon Delano Brown. Mr. Hylton told law enforcement that he and Mr. Brown are Jamaicans and that he had taken the boat to their home country out of Fort Lauderdale about a month prior, according to a criminal complaint cited by the Miami Herald.
Mr. Hylton also told law enforcement that, while in Jamaica, he was offered $100,000 to smuggle the drugs into the U.S., according to the complaint.
Mr. Hylton is facing charges of importation of a controlled substance within the U.S., possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute it and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute it, according to records for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Mr. Brown had not appeared in federal or local jail records as of Tuesday, according to Miami’s WPLG-TV.
Lt. Zane Carter, commander of the Etheridge, said, “Our crew is committed to keeping drugs off the streets and protecting America’s borders. I could not be prouder of my crew’s professionalism and their seamless integration with our partner agencies.”
