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According to court documents, a Frenchman and three Colombians are suspected of involvement in the interception of the Blue Submersible off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago on March 21. The three are Juan Jose CASTANO-PALOMO, 23, a Frenchman, and three Colombians: Carlos Alberto BRAVO-SARASTY, 62, Gustavo RODRIGUEZ-SALAZAR, 41, and Emilson Yordao QUINONEZ-HACHITO, 49.
This afternoon, they were arraigned in federal court in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They were all indicted on April 3, following the interception on March 21. The United States invoked its ROV to board the vessel, which was reasonably suspected of being engaged in drug smuggling in international waters. The U.S. Coast Guard seized approximately one hundred packages of cocaine of various shapes, sizes and weights, with a total weight of 2,370 kilograms at sea.
The court documents make no mention of collusion by Guyana or neighboring countries, although the U.S. Embassy in Guyana and the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) released information on collusion because the operation also took place off the coast of Guyana.
The court document said the interception took place 132 nautical miles northeast of Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, the court heard that the U.S. Coast Guard then authorized its personnel to sink the ship because it did not have a suitable towing point and posed a danger to navigation. U.S. law enforcement agencies did so.
All of these individuals were transported to Puerto Rico on a U.S. law enforcement vessel and face four charges under U.S. law. These charges fall under Title 46 and Title 18 of the U.S. Code:
Conspiracy to Possess: and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance on a Vessel Subject to U.S. Jurisdiction: Stateless Operation of a Submersible or Semi-Submersible Vehicle.
The two men are currently being held at the Puerto Rico Metropolitan Detention Center.
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