More than 113 kilograms of pure cocaine—worth millions on U.S. streets—was the deadly cargo Jhon Albeiro Pineda Jimenez, 37, and Pedro Antonio Jimenez, 65, were caught smuggling across the Pacific. Both Colombian nationals pleaded guilty yesterday in a New Orleans federal courtroom to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine hydrochloride while aboard a vessel on the high seas, under U.S. jurisdiction.
The arrest came after a U.S. Coast Guard patrol intercepted a small fishing vessel southwest of the Panama/Costa Rica maritime border. Hidden in secret compartments beneath the deck, investigators uncovered the massive stash of powder cocaine—enough to supply thousands of doses to drug networks across the Gulf Coast and beyond. The vessel, unflagged and operating suspiciously, was seized immediately.
Jhon Albeiro Pineda Jimenez and Pedro Antonio Jimenez now face the full wrath of federal sentencing guidelines. Each is exposed to a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life behind bars, a potential $10,000,000 fine, and no less than five years of supervised release following incarceration. Prosecutors made no deals to reduce exposure—only a judge’s final word at sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser confirmed the plea in a statement from the Eastern District of Louisiana. “These defendants chose to exploit international waters to traffic poison into our communities,” Strasser said. “Their guilty plea is no victory for them—it’s accountability on the clock.” The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon S. Long.
Investigative credit goes to the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security, whose joint maritime interdiction efforts continue to dismantle transnational drug routes. The vessel’s interception was part of a broader surge in Pacific corridor enforcement, where traffickers use “narco-subs” and fishing boats to evade radar and detection.
Sentencing is scheduled before United States District Judge Martin L.C. Feldman on July 24, 2019. With over 113 kilograms of cocaine recovered and criminal convictions secured, federal authorities are sending a clear message: the high seas are no escape from American justice.
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Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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