3 Arrested After Narcotics Sting Uncovers 47 Kilos Of Cocaine On Cargo Ship
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Three people are behind bars and 47 kilos of cocaine are in the hands of authorities following a narcotics sting on the Miami River Saturday.
According to the arrest reports of Jihmy Jean-Pierre, Franz Mompremier and Emanuel Reginald, Miami-Dade detectives, going off of a tip, had been staking out the 160-foot Lady Philomena while it was docked at the Miami Shipping Terminal along the Miami River.
At around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, an officer watched as a Jean-Pierre got off the vessel and went to a nearby warehouse.
The agent reported Jean-Pierre, 32, returned to the ship with five-gallon buckets and handed them to Reginald, 29, who was in the cargo hold.
A short time later, investigators said, Reginald handed the buckets through an opening in the hull back to Jean-Pierre who was outside of the cargo ship.
Detectives said Jean-Pierre placed the buckets in the warehouse before going into the cargo hold with Mompremier, 42, who offloaded a box and placed it in the warehouse.
Almost eight hours later, Miami-Dade detectives, who were being helped by special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), detained the three men.
HSI agents searched the vessel and the warehouse, recovering six five-gallon buckets containing approximately 47 kilograms of cocaine.
Jean-Pierre, Mompremier and Emanuel Reginald were arrested and charged with trafficking in illegal drugs.
CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald reports the case will be prosecuted in circuit court by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.
The three men, who are Haitian nationals, are being held on $700,000 bond.