Caribbean man pleads guilty in drug case after 10-hour chase

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, Virgin Islands – A man from the Dominican Republic has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in a case that authorities say involved a 10-hour boat chase through the Caribbean.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday that Dany Perez Brito was accused of trafficking more than 1,000 kilograms of cocaine. Officials said the U.S. Coast Guard detected the boat north of Puerto Rico and chased it through international waters until the engine died north of St. Thomas.

Authorities said they found 1,132 kilograms of cocaine aboard the boat. Perez said in court that he conspired to transport the drugs from Venezuela to Puerto Rico and expected to be paid $200,000.

Perez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10 million.