Cocaine Worth $6.4M Seized From Tanker at Long Beach Port

US authorities have confiscated approximately 227 kilograms of cocaine valued at an estimated $6.4 million from a crude oil tanker arriving in Southern California, while a Filipino crew member now faces charges linked to what prosecutors describe as a cartel-connected smuggling scheme.

The drugs were discovered during a joint operation involving Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the US Coast Guard aboard the aframax tanker *Aquatravesia *after the vessel arrived at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Investigators said a narcotics detection dog alerted officers to possible contraband onboard, leading authorities to uncover roughly 500 pounds of cocaine hidden aboard the ship.

Federal prosecutors have charged 43-year-old Ceasar Tubay Gelacio Jr., a Philippine national, with importation of a controlled substance. He was taken into custody after the vessel was boarded and faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years if convicted.

According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Los Angeles, law enforcement agencies received intelligence earlier this month indicating that the Liberian-flagged tanker was en route to the United States carrying a large quantity of cocaine allegedly intended for a Mexican drug cartel. The ship had most recently called in Ecuador.

Court documents state that the operation reportedly began to fall apart after crew members discovered packages containing suspected narcotics concealed inside the vessel’s garbage room. The ship’s master then questioned crew members and allegedly identified Gelacio as being connected to the drugs before the packages were moved and secured elsewhere onboard.

The complaint further claims cartel operatives intended to retrieve the cocaine while the tanker sailed through Mexican waters. Investigators allege the captain had been informed that armed boats would attempt to meet the vessel around 80 nautical miles off the Mexican coast during a planned transfer operation.

When the rendezvous reportedly failed to happen, additional vessels were allegedly expected to intercept the tanker and collect the narcotics. The captain also reported receiving radio communications believed to have come from cartel members attempting to contact the ship.

After receiving the intelligence warning, US authorities directed the tanker to continue to the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, where federal agents and Coast Guard personnel carried out the boarding and recovered the cocaine.

Investigators allege Gelacio received the narcotics in Ecuador and intended to hand them over to another party while the vessel traveled north along the Pacific coast.

HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang said the seizure highlighted continuing efforts to disrupt international criminal organizations using commercial shipping routes to transport narcotics into North America. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach Commander Captain Stacey Crecy described the case as an example of successful cooperation between agencies working to protect maritime trade while minimizing disruption to commercial shipping.

The *Aquatravesia *is a 2017-built tanker with a deadweight of 113,000 tons. Shipping databases list the vessel as owned by Greece-based Unisea Shipping and currently operating on charter to Swiss commodities trader Mercuria. Neither company has been accused of wrongdoing.

The seizure is part of a wider crackdown on maritime drug trafficking. According to the Department of Homeland Security, HSI seized more than 917,000 pounds of cocaine during 2025, while the Coast Guard intercepted over 511,000 pounds during the same period, more than triple its historical annual average.

Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing. Prosecutors also emphasized that the criminal complaint contains allegations only, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.