Eight stowaways were busted in San Juan Harbor, Puerto Rico on May 22 by the US Coast Guard Station San Juan boat crew and Homeland Security Task Force San Juan Region partner agencies.
The stowaways – four Chinese and four Dominican Republic nationals – were transferred to Customs and Border Protection San Juan Field Office personnel for further processing.
Sector San Juan received an initial report from the Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine Operations Center stating a visual detection of possible stowaways aboard an inbound barge as it was being towed by a tug vessel.
The officers directed the master of the tug vessel to hold position outside of the harbor and launched Station San Juan to respond.
The Station San Juan boat crew intercepted the inbound tug vessel and barge and conducted a safety and security boarding.
The boat crew safely apprehended eight stowaways and transferred them to awaiting CBP agents at the Puerto Nuevo Terminals of San Juan Harbor.
“The coordination and swift response of the Coast Guard and our partner agencies to apprehend and process these stowaways demonstrates our collective commitment to securing and protecting the U.S. maritime border and navigable waterways in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” said Commander Matthew Romano, Coast Guard Sector San Juan chief of response.
