Human smugglers trying to traffick 189 kilos of cocaine, busted in the waters off Fort Pierce

(September 5, 2025) Earlier this morning, South Florida’s St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office reported on a multi-agency operation that was successful in intercepting bad actors busted in their attempts at smuggling at least 30 undocumented Chinese into the U.S. along with 168 kilos of cocaine meant for drug trafficking purposes.  The human smuggling / narcotics trafficking bust went down on Saturday just off the Fort Pierce coast.

Background:  On August 29, law enforcement received credible intelligence indicating that a group of males had rented an Airbnb residence in Fort Pierce and were allegedly planning to travel to the Bahamas to retrieve narcotics and smuggle undocumented immigrants into the United States.

In the early morning hours of August 30 around 5:30 a.m., two suspect vessels were observed departing the Fort Pierce Inlet. Later in the day, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in coordination with the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), executed a coordinated operation to target and intercept the vessels.

The smuggling operation also included counter-surveillance teams actively patrolling the North and South Beach areas of Ft. Pierce Inlet.

Intelligence obtained during the day revealed a third vessel was involved, with all three boats reportedly returning from the Bahamas toward Ft. Pierce Inlet.

Upon approaching the Ft. Pierce Inlet, units from CBP, AMO and the FWC intercepted the three vessels. The intercepted boats included a 42-foot Contender, a 36-foot Grady White, and an estimated 33–35-foot Intermarine vessel.

The Contender and Grady White vessels complied and stopped. However, the third vessel (Intermarine) attempted to flee. CBP AMO agents responded by disabling the vessel, successfully stopping its escape. After securing the vessels at sea, three individuals conducting counter surveillance on land were taken into custody.

Arrests & Recoveries:

• 30 Chinese nationals, all believed to be undocumented, were discovered on board, including two juveniles;
• 5 Bahamian males, all possibly undocumented, were taken into custody from the vessels;
• 3 Bahamian males involved in countersurveillance were arrested on land; and
• Approximately 168 kilograms of cocaine seized

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All individuals taken into custody were turned over to federal authorities for further investigation and processing. The Chinese nationals interdicted at sea were turned over to the US Coast Guard and are expected to be repatriated to their country of origin without entering the U.S.

“We won’t tolerate criminals using our shores as their pathway,” said Sheriff Richard Del Toro. “Our county will not be a gateway for criminal enterprises. I’m proud of the teamwork and tenacity shown by all the local, state, and federal agencies involved.”

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(Source and all images: St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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