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Cocaine Trafficking Ring Busted in South Florida
Thirteen men, including Osvaldo Domingo Ceballo and Yumar Oliva, have been sentenced for their roles in a massive cocaine trafficking operation in South Florida, authorities announced Thursday. Ceballo, 44, of Hialeah, and Oliva, 43, of Miami, were sentenced to 216 months and 151 months in prison, respectively, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride, a violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846, and possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride, a violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841.
The investigation, which began in October 2010, involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the DEA, the Boca Raton Police Department, and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office. During the two-year investigation, authorities conducted 14 wiretap investigations, intercepted over 33,000 telephone calls and text messages, and seized 27 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride and over 100 grams of cocaine base.
The investigation revealed that the large-scale drug trafficking organization was responsible for the importation of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride from Haiti and the Bahamas for distribution in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. The operation was led by Taverne Pierre Louis, who was sentenced to 188 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
Other defendants sentenced in the case include Frantz Bernard, Joachim Pierre Louis, James Francois, Jose Ignacio Sigler, Beverly Sharon Miller, Tyrell Patrick Josey, Tremaine Shenard Jackson, Terrence Demetrius Nesbitt, Ronel M. Theodore, and Kirk Irwin Pierce.
The case is the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate, and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises.
The investigation and prosecution of this case involved the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Boca Raton Police Department, the West Palm Beach Police Department, the Broward Sheriff’s Office, and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office.
Two defendants remain fugitives and are still being sought by authorities. The case is a significant blow to the South Florida cocaine trafficking network, and authorities say it will help to disrupt the flow of drugs into the region.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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