A 15-year prison sentence has been handed down to Cesar Augusto Romero Caballero, a 35-year-old former Colombian Navy Lieutenant, for his role in a brazen cocaine trafficking operation.
On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, U.S. District Court Judge James Moody Jr. handed down the sentence in a federal court in Florida.
According to court documents, Caballero was a member of the Colombian Navy who, for a price, recruited active-duty members to plant GPS tracking devices in Navy vessels. These devices were then used by transnational criminal organizations to evade Colombian Navy patrols and bring cocaine-laden vessels to the United States.
Caballero, who pleaded guilty on April 8, 2024, was charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, knowing it would be unlawfully imported into the United States.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi praised the outcome, saying, ‘This foreign national committed serious crimes to enable the flow of drugs into our country.’
Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Field Division added, ‘Our teams focus on sophisticated and violent drug trafficking organizations and work countless investigative hours.’
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Stoia prosecuted the case, which was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative. The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force, comprised of agents from the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations, worked together to bring the case to a successful conclusion.
Caballero’s 15-year sentence reflects the seriousness of his crimes and the Department of Justice’s commitment to holding criminals accountable for their actions.
Related Federal Cases
- Nichiren Shoshu Smith, Crack Cocaine Distribution, Florida 2024 · U.S. Virgin Islands
- James Matthew Doyle, Cocaine Distribution, Florida 2024 · Alabama
- Luis Miguel Hernandez, Methamphetamine and Cocaine Distribution, Florida 2023 · Connecticut
- Avery Jones-Neal, Cocaine Distribution, Florida 2023 · Arkansas
- James Matthew Doyle, Cocaine Distribution, Florida 2023 · Arkansas
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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