By DAVE LLAVANES Published May 24, 2026 11:33am + Add GMA on Google Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google. NEW YORK - A Filipino seaman was arrested by the Department of Homeland Security and the US Coast Guard in Los Angeles, California after authorities allegedly discovered a quarter ton of cocaine in his possession.The US Department of Justice identified the Filipino suspect as 43-year-old Ceasar Tubay Gelacio Jr., who was charged with importation of a controlled substance after being arrested Thursday.According to court records, authorities received information that a Greek-owned and Liberian-flagged oil tanker named Aquatravesia left Ecuador and was en route to the US allegedly carrying a large quantity of illegal drugs.Crew members allegedly discovered packages of suspected cocaine hidden inside the ship’s garbage room. After the ship captain investigated the crew, Gelacio was allegedly identified as the person in possession of the contraband.The captain also reported that while the vessel was in Mexican waters, armed members of a Mexican cartel aboard small boats were allegedly waiting 80 nautical miles from the shore on the evening of May 14 to early morning of May 15. He also received radio calls believed to have come from the cartel "attempting to hail the Aquatravesia prior to a boarding or takeover," according to a press release from the US Attorney's Office of the Central District of California.Because of this, US authorities ordered the vessel to proceed to the combined ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach where government operatives could board the oil tanker.Law enforcement operatives then recovered approximately 227 kilograms of cocaine from inside the ship.Investigators also allegedly learned that Gelacio received the drugs in Ecuador and intended to distribute them while the ship was traveling near Mexico.If convicted, Gelacio could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison or statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment, the US Justice Department said."Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Coast Guard are investigating this matter," the US Attorney's Office in the Central District of California said.The Philippine Embassy in Los Angeles, California has not yet issued a statement regarding the condition or situation of Gelacio. —KG, GMA News