The US Coast Guard announced it intercepted 66 migrants, mainly from the Dominican Republic, in the last 72 hours during five separate operations in the waters near Puerto Rico.
The US Coast Guard reports that three of the men were riding with a Mexican migrant when their craft was intercepted roughly four nautical miles off Manatí, Puerto Rico. Investigators say the Mexican national has possible gang affiliations.
According to federal officials, since 1 October 2018, more than 700 migrants have been stopped while attempting to enter Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands illegally by water, a significant increase over last year.
In addition, over the same time period, the US Coast Guard has seized more than 15,300 pounds of illegal drugs bound for Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands.
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WTSP
16 January 2019
