Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has
sentenced three Colombian nationals to federal prison terms for conspiracy to
distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more
of cocaine while onboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United
States. Carlos Chavez-Aguirre (35), Yesid Caicedo Asprilla (50), and David
Hurtado Vallecilla (45) were sentenced to 20, 12, and 11 years, respectively.
They had pleaded guilty in August and September 2019.
According to court documents, on June 18, 2019, while on
routine patrol in the East Pacific Ocean, the United States Coast Guard (USCG)
Cutter Munro located a 50-ft long self-propelled semi-submersible submarine
with a sealed cabin approximately 92 nautical miles northwest of Tumaco,
Colombia, in international waters.
USCG law enforcement officers boarded the semi-submersible
submarine while it was still moving. The boarding led to the arrest of five
individuals, and the recovery of 7,683 kilograms of cocaine (almost 17,000
pounds) worth approximately $192 million.
The two remaining defendants are scheduled to be sentenced
on January 14, 2020 and February 12, 2020.
Carlos Chavez-Aguirre had previously been convicted of
conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute five
kilograms or more of cocaine while onboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction
of the United States.
“This case highlights the interagency cooperation that fuels
the mission of the Panama Express Strike Force; which is to disrupt and
dismantle transnational criminal organizations,” said FBI Tampa Division
Special Agent in Charge Michael F. McPherson.
“This high-profile narcotics interdiction case was the
result of the investigative efforts HSI and our partner agencies at the Panama
Express Strike Force conduct on a daily basis,” said HSI Tampa Assistant
Special Agent in Charge Hector Colon.
This case was investigated by the Panama Express Strike
Force, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) comprised of
agents and analysts from the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service,
the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Homeland Security Investigations, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and
U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South. The principal
mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most
serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily
responsible for the nation’s drug supply. The case was prosecuted by Assistant
United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.
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