On Friday, October 17, 2003, at approximately 00:15 a.m., an Omaha 69A C-12 aircraft assigned to the Air & Marine Operations (AMO) Unit of ICE in Aguadilla, P.R., detected a vessel 25 nautical miles northwest of Borinquen, Aguadilla that met the description of a craft believed to be carrying illegal merchandise. An ICE Black Hawk helicopter was then launched to track the vessel making contact with the craft at coordinates North 18.38, West 67.29. ICE agents alerted the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Northland and ICE’s fast boats. Upon intercept ICE agents found 15 bails of contraband floating in the waters near Desecheo Island and carrying, approximately, 870 and pounds of cocaine. The contraband and occupants of the vessel, three males who claim to be Dominican nationals were transferred to Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and turned over the ICE’s duty agent.

"We are sending a very clear message to those in the business of importing illegal merchandise and narcotics to the United States through Puerto Rico. We will simply not tolerate it," said Gustavo Araiza, Acting Field Director, Caribbean Air & Marine Branch of ICE. "We will use all our resources to prevent the proliferation of drugs in the streets of Puerto Rico. For this, we count on the support of all law enforcement agencies in Puerto Rico: Federal, State and local," added Acting Special Agent in Charge of ICE in Puerto Rico, Myrna O. Pere.

The previous weekend, Saturday, October 11, ICE agents found 5,137.5 grams of heroin in a cabin of the cruise ship Adventures of the Seas, in the Port of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. An ICE Blackhawk helicopter assigned to the AMO Unit in Aguadilla was launched to support the operation in St. Thomas. ICE agents placed Luis A. Rodriguez and Ivette De Jesus, the occupants of cabin 2558, under arrest. On Sunday, October 12, 2003, ICE agents intercepted a craft carrying over 1000 pounds of Marihuana near the Patillas area in the Southern coast of Puerto Rico.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for the enforcement of border, economic, infrastructure and transportation security laws. ICE seeks to prevent acts of terrorism by targeting the people, money and materials that support terrorist and criminal activities.