Jamaican national arrested in Fort Lauderdale for million-dollar drug seizure
Key Points(4)
- Authorities said both men are Jamaican nationals.</p> <p data-start="769" data-end="1077">During what was described as a seaworthiness inspection, Coast Guard officers reported noticing manipulated panels and fresh fiberglass work inside the boat.
- While in Jamaica, he allegedly said he was offered $100,000 to return the boat to Fort Lauderdale knowing illegal narcotics would be concealed on board.</p> <p data-start="1805" data-end="2003">Hylton was arrested and charged with three federal drug trafficking offenses.
- He was booked into the Broward County jail on behalf of the U.S.
- Marshals Service and remained in custody as of Tuesday.</p> <p data-start="2005" data-end="2209" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">Court records indicate he is scheduled to return before a federal judge next Monday for a pre-trial detention hearing.
A 33-year-old Jamaican man made his initial appearance in federal court in Fort Lauderdale on Monday after authorities said he was caught transporting a large shipment of cocaine and marijuana by sea.
Prosecutors allege that Rudalph Hylton was trafficking millions of dollars’ worth of narcotics from Jamaica aboard a 45-foot Sea Ray vessel named “Lady B.”
According to a federal criminal complaint, the crew of the United States Coast Guard Cutter Richard Etheridge conducted a routine boarding of the vessel in the Atlantic Ocean, about eight nautical miles northeast of Haulover Inlet.
On board were Hylton and another man identified as Aldon Delano Brown. Authorities said both men are Jamaican nationals.
During what was described as a seaworthiness inspection, Coast Guard officers reported noticing manipulated panels and fresh fiberglass work inside the boat. The complaint states that the boarding team ultimately discovered a hidden compartment beneath the floor of the cabin, concealed with a small opening.
Inside the compartment, investigators said they found 68 bricks of cocaine weighing more than 70 kilograms — approximately 154 pounds — and 14 bricks of marijuana weighing about 12 kilograms, or roughly 26 pounds.
While the complaint does not specify a street value for the drugs, according to Local10, federal authorities have previously estimated that a 70-kilogram cocaine seizure can exceed $10 million in value, depending on the market.
According to court documents, Hylton told investigators that he and Brown had taken the vessel from Fort Lauderdale to Jamaica about a month earlier. While in Jamaica, he allegedly said he was offered $100,000 to return the boat to Fort Lauderdale knowing illegal narcotics would be concealed on board.
Hylton was arrested and charged with three federal drug trafficking offenses. He was booked into the Broward County jail on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service and remained in custody as of Tuesday.
Court records indicate he is scheduled to return before a federal judge next Monday for a pre-trial detention hearing. Brown was not listed in Broward County or federal jail records as of Tuesday morning.
