156 Pounds of Cocaine Worth $1.3 Million Seized Near Puerto Rico; Vessel Departed St. Thomas

CBP agents intercept boat during nighttime patrol; suspects throw cocaine bricks overboard in dramatic pursuit before agents disable vessel’s engine near Culebra, recovering 59 bricks of cocaine

ST. THOMAS —Two men are facing federal drug trafficking charges after their vessel was intercepted by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) agents on October 6. According to court documents, the vessel, a 20-foot center console Spider Yola with a purple hull and one outboard engine, was initially spotted traveling without lights approximately one mile northwest of Savana Island, St. Thomas

AMO agents tracked the vessel as it navigated westward before attempting to intercept it near the Puerto Rican island of Culebra. Despite the agents’ signals to stop, the two men onboard—identified as Luis Manuel Perez Lopez and Anli Jiminez Rodriguez—failed to comply, leading to a pursuit. The vessel reportedly engaged in evasive maneuvers while the men began tossing bags overboard. CBP officers managed to recover two of the discarded packages during the pursuit. The men continued to ignore warning shots, prompting AMO agents to fire into the vessel’s engine, disabling it and forcing the vessel to stop.