Law Enforcement Authorities News

Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the IMO, addressed the United Nations Security Council at its 9,525th meeting reiterating his condemnation of the attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea.“Attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea area are not acceptable,” he said. “Ships must be allowed to trade worldwide unhindered and in accordance with international law.”Since the beginning of November, a number of attacks have been launched against international vessels navigating in the Red Sea which hosts around 15% of international shipping trade.

Estonia's prosecutor general said on Friday that the Hong Kong-registered NewNew Polar Bear container vessel was the primary suspect in an investigation of damage to two subsea telecoms cables linking Estonia to Finland and Sweden. "We prepared a legal assistance request to China so that the local law enforcement authorities would perform the procedural operations, primarily those connected to the vessel and its crew," State Prosecutor Triinu Olev said in a statement. The two cables were damaged on Oct 7-8.

Maritime regulatory and law enforcement authorities from Asia, Australia and Europe convened virtually on Tuesday to address piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia.During the virtual Capacity Building Workshop, host ReCAAP Information Sharing Center (ISC) and participants from its member countries shared the information and assessment of the latest situation of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia, in particular, in the areas of concern. They also discussed the…

Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 21, the future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul, completed acceptance trials in Lake Michigan ahead of final outfitting and fine-tuning before delivery to the U.S. Navy in 2021.LCS 21 is the 11th Freedom-variant LCS designed and built by the Lockheed Martin-led industry team that includes Fincantieri Marinette Marine and Gibbs & Cox."LCS 21 joins a fleet of sister ships delivering unique flexibility and capability to the U.S. Navy," said Joe DePietro, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager, Small Combatants and Ship Systems.

At least 38 workers from Venezuela's state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela’s, including the president of maritime subsidiary PDV Marina, were detained on accusations of trafficking fuel, Venezuelan Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said on Saturday, describing the accusations as "treason."The move comes just days after other state officials were detained and amid a shakeup at PDVSA after President Nicolas Maduro last month named a committee to restructure the OPEC nation’s oil industry, which is struggling under U.S. sanctions designed to force Maduro’s ouster, as well as years of mismanagement, corruption, and declining cash flow.On Friday…

A British company’s boat stopping systems which can quickly stop boats used in terrorism and narco trafficking without harming the boat or its passengers is making waves.Security Equipment specialists, BCB International Ltd,  have developed a new range of boat stopping systems which use compressed air and specialized vessel disabling projectiles. BCB International Boss, Andrew Howell, said: ”BCB’s boat stopping systems were inspired by the police road stingers used to stop speeding and runaway cars.

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier (WPC-1115) repatriated 22 of 25 Dominican migrants to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel Monday, following the interdiction of a makeshift boat Saturday, approximately 20 nautical miles northwest of Mona Island, Puerto Rico.Three of the interdicted migrants are facing possible federal prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico for illegally attempting to reenter the United States.The Coast Guard, and federal and Commonwealth of Puerto Rico law enforcement partners have interdicted more than 400 migrants and stopped several narcotics smuggling attempts since October of 2018."The migrants were attempting to make the transit across an ocean passage in a vessel that was inherently unsafe due to overloading…

The Coast Guard interdicted 66 migrants in the last 72-hours in five separate events near Puerto Rico.The Coast Guard, and federal and Commonwealth of Puerto Rico law enforcement partners have interdicted more than 380 migrants and stopped several narcotics smuggling attempts since October of 2018.“These recent migrant and drug interdiction cases, though smaller than what we see at our land borders, are a reminder of the constant threat toward the American citizens of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands,” said Rear Adm. Peter Brown, Coast Guard 7th District commander.

The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded $13.3 million worth of suspected heroin and cocaine and transferred custody of two suspected smugglers to authorities in San Juan Tuesday, following a recent interdiction in the Caribbean Sea off Puerto Rico.The crew of a patrolling Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine Branch (CAMB) maritime patrol aircraft initially detected a 30-foot go-fast vessel Saturday afternoon transiting with two people onboard and visible packages on deck south of Patillas…

The Coast Guard repatriated 18 Dominican migrants Friday morning to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, following two at-sea interdictions by Caribbean Border Interagency Group law enforcement authorities Tuesday just off Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. In addition to the 18 migrants that were repatriated, eight of the interdicted migrants, who were men and also of Dominican nationality, are facing potential federal criminal immigration charges for attempted illegal reentry into a U.S. Territory. “The quick response and coordination by the Caribbean Border Interagency Group agencies involved allowed for the safe interdiction and removal of 26 migrants from a dangerous situation,” said Capt. Eric P. King, Coast Guard Sector San Juan commander.

The U.S. Coast Guard will offload more than 47,000 pounds of cocaine worth over $721 million Thursday at 9:30 a.m., which was seized in 23 separate interdictions in the eastern Pacific Ocean by U.S. and Canadian forces operating in international waters off the coast of Central and South America. Senior U.S. and Canadian officials will be at the offload to discuss new tactics used by transnational organized crime groups and to highlight international cooperation in combating the threat posed by these dangerous groups. U.S.

U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft delivered the 2017 State of the Coast Guard Address at the National Press Club Thursday. This was Adm. Zukunft's third State of the Coast Guard Address and he emphasized the service as a unique instrument of national security. First and foremost an armed service, the Coast Guard is the only branch of the U.S. armed forces that has broad law enforcement authorities and a portfolio of more than 60 bi-lateral agreements that extend around the globe, Zukunft said.

Customs inspectors in Malta have seized more than 300 kg (660 lb) of cocaine worth millions of euros on a container ship heading from Ecuador to Spain, Maltese officials said on Thursday. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat hailed the find as the biggest drugs seizure in the history of the Mediterranean island. "Well done to Customs and law enforcement authorities," he said in a tweet. The customs department said it had discovered the cocaine stuffed in black hold-all bags in a container that was meant to be holding canned pineapple. The unnamed ship had sailed from Ecuador and had docked at Malta Freeport. It was due to double back to Spain. "It is estimated that the haul has a street value of tens of millions of euro," the customs department said, without giving a precise figure.

As summer slowly fades to memory and commercial vessels have less frequent encounters with recreational vessels of all sizes, shapes and descriptions on America’s inland waterways, it might be a good time to review a strange, but not completely unusual incident that occurred in Louisiana on a navigable channel in the lower Mississippi River late last May. A workboat was pushing a small barge through a narrow tributary on a job to deliver it to its destination approximately twelve miles away from where the transit originated.

Crewmembers of Coast Guard Station Miami Beach, Florida, offloaded 254 kilograms of cocaine and 3,662 pounds of marijuana interdicted in the Caribbean Sea as part of Operation  Martillo worth an estimated wholesale value of $11.8 million, at Base Miami Beach, Friday. On Sept. 3, a maritime patrol aircraft reported a suspicious Panamanian flagged sailing vessel southeast of Nicaragua. Coast Guard Cutter Robert Yered arrived on scene and attempted to contact the vessel. With no response to radio calls, and the vessel not slowing down, the Robert Yered launched its smallboat with a law enforcement team and subsequently boarded the vessel after receiving permission from the Panamanian government.

US President Barack Obama urged Beijing to take "concrete steps" to ease tensions over maritime claims, as America and China wrapped up three days of candid talks, reports AP. "The president raised ongoing U.S. concerns about China's maritime behavior, and he urged China to take concrete steps to lower tensions," the White House said in a statement. The high-level talks in Washington were a prelude to Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to the U.S. this fall, and ended with both sides saying they are stepping up cooperation on preserving the ocean and combating illegal fishing. Kerry said they would expand cooperation among coast guard and law enforcement authorities to uphold international standards. He did not provide details.

Former Afloat Programs Manager at the United States Navy Military Sealift Command (MSC), Kenny E. Toy, was sentenced to 96 months in prison for receiving bribes, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Toy was sentenced by United States Chief Judge Rebecca Beach Smith of the Eastern District of Virginia Tuesday, July 29. Toy pleaded guilty on Feb. 12, 2014 to criminal information charging him with one count of bribery. According to Toy’s plea agreement, he was employed as the Afloat Programs Manager in the N6 Command…

China, involved in a growing dispute with its neighbours over the energy-rich South China Sea, wants to promote peaceful development of the oceans, Premier Li Keqiang said, warning conflicts in the past had only brought "disaster for humanity". China claims almost the entire ocean, rejecting rival claims to parts of it from Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei in one of Asia's most intractable disputes and a possible flashpoint. It also has a long-running dispute with Japan in the East China Sea. "China will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development and firmly oppose any act of hegemony in maritime affairs," Li said at a maritime summit in Greece on Friday in comments carried by China's Foreign Ministry website on Saturday.

The Coast Guard says it repatriated 19 Haitian migrants from an intediction in the Mona Passage, including a pair of migrants who had to be rescued after they were thrown into the sea by the people-smugglers. A group of 19 migrants was detected by a Coast Guard aircraft west of Mona Island, Puerto Rico. Coast Guard Sector San Juan diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Key Largo to interdict the migrant vessel and informed federal law enforcement partner agencies. Upon the cutter Key Largo’s arrival on scene, the smugglers, in an attempt to flee the area and avoid interdiction, allegedly threatened the migrants onboard and forced two Haitians, including a minor, overboard without life jackets. The crew of the Key Largo saved the two Haitians and continued to pursue the suspect vessel.

Scott B. Miserendino, Sr., 55, a former government contractor who performed work for the United States Navy Military Sealift Command , and Timothy S. Miller, 57, a businessman whose company sought contracting business from the Military Sealift Command, were indicted today on charges including conspiracy and bribery. Acting Assistant Attorney General David A. O’Neil of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia…

A U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Mounted Police law enforcement boat crew conducted the first Shiprider patrol of the 2014 Great Lakes boating season, Thursday, in Lake Erie. The Shiprider Program allows U.S. and Canadian maritime law enforcement officers to embark together on joint patrols to integrate operations on and near shared maritime borders. Law enforcement officers from Coast Guard Station Belle Isle, Michigan and a RCMP officer from Windsor, Ontario, embarked on a Coast Guard 45-foot response boat for the patrol in Lake Erie.

A man suspected of faking his own death and costing the Coast Guard more than $173,000 was arrested Tuesday near Brunswick, Ga. Georgia law enforcement authorities say Aubrey Lee Price, 47, was pulled over by police in Brunswick for having illegally tinted windows on his vehicle. Price, who is a former Valdosta, Ga. banker, is also accused of wire and security fraud. Price was reported missing by his family on June 18, 2012. A family member in Georgia reported the missing man to the U.S. Coast Guard after they had received a certified letter believed to be a suicide note from Price.

The United Nations Trust Fund for the Fight against Piracy approves projects in support of anti-piracy efforts in Somalia & other affected States in the region. Other affected States in the region, include Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Maldives and the Seychelles. The announcement was made in New York by United Nations Assistant-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, who chaired the Board of the Trust Fund to Support Initiatives of States Countering Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. “The dramatic decline in pirate attacks is clear evidence of years of hard work by United Nations Member States, international and regional organizations, and actors in the shipping industry,” said Mr. Zerihoun.