Jesus Alfredo De La Cruz Orobio, Cocaine Smuggling, Texas 2024

HOUSTON – In a shocking display of international drug trafficking, three Colombian citizens are set to appear in federal court for their alleged roles in a cocaine smuggling attempt involving over 1,300 kilograms of the deadly substance.

Jesus Alfredo De La Cruz Orobio, 59, Juan David Portocarrero Diaz, 34, and Milton Valencia Blandon, 29, are set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina Bryan today at either 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. in a case that has left authorities reeling.

A Houston grand jury returned the indictment on December 5, charging the trio with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine on a vessel in the high seas in violation of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act and the Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act of 2008.

The charges allege that on November 21, 2019, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Thetis was on routine patrol off the Pacific Coast of Colombia and Ecuador when they detected a long, low-profile go-fast vessel 81 nautical miles southeast of Malpelo Island, Colombia. The vessel, without any flag, registration documents, homeport name, or identification on the hull, was stopped by the USCG and searched.

During the search, authorities discovered 54 bales of cocaine weighing approximately 1,321 kilograms in the hold of the boat, along with sophisticated satellite communication and global positioning devices. The three crewmen, identified as Orobio, Diaz, and Blandon, were taken into custody and charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine on a vessel in the high seas.

According to authorities, if convicted, each man faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison as well as a possible $10 million maximum fine. This case marks the second such prosecution in the Southern District of Texas under a statute that allows any jurisdiction in the United States to prosecute such smugglers.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Gallagher is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Coast Guard. An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

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