In International waters?

This recent news caught my eye, not because of the drugs, but because the CG seized to boat in international waters 400 miles off shore. I didn't know they could do that.

2 men charged in Boston after drugs seized on boat - Times Union

bobc said:

I didn't know they could do that.

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Oh, yes. They can do that. Now you know.

John

Any US vessel anywhere (incuding foreign waters if permission granted)...

Any vessel anywhere except a third party nations territorial waters.....with the country's permission of that vessel.....

Any vessel deemed stateless or any vessel in the US EEZ if EEZ related,

Any vessel in the contiguous zone for customs and a few other issues...

Any vessel within 12NM (territorial waters)...

When we were anchored at Isla Mujeres (Mexico) we were talking with a lady who was on the next boat. Her husband worked for some agency (I do not know which one) in Central America and his job was to alert the USCG when a boat carrying drugs left Mexico (or Belize, or Guatemala, or Honduras) headed for the U.S. Apparently some of the cruisers wanted to augment their income. The drug dealers would sell them the drugs, making a profit, and then notify the (unknown agency -- DEA I presume) who would give them a reward. The naive cruiser boat would come up the Yucatan Channel and the USCG boat would be waiting. In international waters, between Cuba and Isla Mujeres.

John

jwnall said:

When we were anchored at Isla Mujeres (Mexico) we were talking with a lady who was on the next boat. Her husband worked for some agency (I do not know which one) in Central America and his job was to alert the USCG when a boat carrying drugs left Mexico (or Belize, or Guatemala, or Honduras) headed for the U.S. Apparently some of the cruisers wanted to augment their income. The drug dealers would sell them the drugs, making a profit, and then notify the (unknown agency -- DEA I presume) who would give them a reward. The naive cruiser boat would come up the Yucatan Channel and the USCG boat would be waiting. In international waters, between Cuba and Isla Mujeres.

John

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She told you that!?! she must have a death wish for her husband. Maybe she has him well insured.

Steve said:

She told you that!?! she must have a death wish for her husband. Maybe she has him well insured.

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Keep in mind, Steve, that the drug dealers were the ones turning the cruiser in to start with. So they had no beef. And we are not talking about professionals doing the attempted smuggling. Just amateurs looking for a quick buck. So I doubt that her husband was at risk. Or at least not any more than usual anyway.

Greetings,
Hmmm....Sounds like the HUSBAND was the drug dealer...CIA perhaps?

I see, I missread.

And an alternative theory, which I have often thought of, is that they tell new cruisers (which we definitely were) these stories down there just to discourage them in case they have such illegal thoughts of their own. Don't know. I do know, however, that there are a LOT of USCG vessels prowling the Yucatan Channel. Always made me feel kind of secure.

The Colombian Naval Academy has a fleet of confiscated sailboats, formerly owned by cruisers. I know a Spaniard who had his 46 Amel confiscated, now in the Academy fleet. I also know and American woman who transported drugs from Colombia, thru Panama to St. Pete. Her contact (the DEA) had her move the coke from St Pete to NCY where she was arrested. It is not BS, it happens, often set up by drug dealers wanting to throw the authorities a bone.

I didn't like flying off ships in the Yucatan...not as much to see as over in the Mona and Windward passes...plus the Mexicans had a nasty habit of holding the USCG at gunpoint every time we landed in Cozumel to pickup/dropoff ship personnel. Didn't seem to get as many smugglers over in the Yacatan as the others also.

Rode before a hurricane on year all the way to St Pete before it veered off to Texas...Captain was so worried about rolling...he wanted to cut the helo loose and let it go overboard...

The volume and mass of drugs coming into the US can only be supplied by multiple truck loads every day.

Not a bag hidden under the floor boards of some cruiser.

It is to the dealer's advantage to turn in other dealers loads. This practice keeps the price up. Same thing with smuggling illegals into the country.

they will also turn in their own decoy loads...can usually tell by the amount being seized...if way small for a vessel...could be a decoy.

Some Cubans have been know to sell a cruiser cases of rum cheaply and then tip off the Cayman Island customs who then seize the boat for not declaring the rum. The Cubans then receive a reward. Cruiser looses both the boat and the rum.

Marty

psneeld said:

Any US vessel anywhere (incuding foreign waters if permission granted)...

Any vessel anywhere except a third party nations territorial waters.....with the country's permission of that vessel.....

Any vessel deemed stateless or any vessel in the US EEZ if EEZ related,

Any vessel in the contiguous zone for customs and a few other issues...

Any vessel within 12NM (territorial waters)...

Click to expand...

Ahhh, now I see, a cunning way of keeping the America's Cup.

14 USC 89 gives the Coats Guard the right to board this stateless vsl, even though they were in intl waters with Canadians aboard. It also gives the right over American citizens in intl waters.
I was involved in a 14 ton drug bust off Jacksonville in the late 70's. Two Real Estate developers from Ft Lauderdale were aboard, along with columbian crew. This was in the pre RICO statute days. a 6 KT follow ensued ,while we waited for permission from the Columian govt to give us permission to board. It took about 6 days of following them to receive permission. When we boarded and took the crew off, we were near Puerto Rico.
The Americans were released, the Columbians were deported. Under the same situation, we would now have jurisdiction over the Americans.