Police arrested and charged three fishermen last Thursday night after helping to intercept a “suspicious vessel” carrying suspected cocaine believed to be worth more than $34 million, they said.
The men aboard the boat — Julio Cabrera Martinez, 40, Tomas Balbuena Acosta, 55, and Remigio De Los Santos, 62 — have been charged with possession of a controlled drug and possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply, according to the Police Information Office.
They were intercepted shortly after 11 p.m. during a joint operation involving officers from the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force Marine Unit and United States Customs and Border Protection, police said.
“This significant bust underscores the RVIPF’s ongoing commitment to disrupting drug trafficking operations in the Virgin Islands,” Police Commissioner Mark Collins said in a police press release issued on Saturday.
At the time, the suspects were in custody pending their appearance at the Magistrates’ Court, the release stated.
Police have not provided an update or other details.