Honduran Cartel Captain Lands 13 Years for Trafficking Tons of Cocaine

Honduran Cartel Captain Lands 13 Years for Trafficking Tons of Cocaine

Alexandria, VA – In a major blow to the Montes Drug Trafficking Organization, a Honduran national has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for his role in trafficking massive amounts of cocaine to the United States.

Erasmo Avila Palacios, 49, also known as Nelsi Erasmo Avila or “Monstruo,” was a top boat captain and longtime associate of the Montes DTO, which distributed millions of dollars’ worth of Colombian cocaine through Central America bound for the US.

According to court documents, Avila averaged at least two go-fast-vessel shipments of cocaine per month between 2010 and 2014, with each shipment consisting of approximately 500 to 900 kilograms of cocaine. He also received cocaine loads via airplane and curried shipments of millions of dollars in cash in the opposite direction.

After Noe Montes-Bobadilla’s arrest in 2017, Avila became a trusted advisor for the DTO’s new leadership, providing maritime advice and helping to coordinate maritime cocaine shipments. He directed and advised several individuals on operating maritime vessels, plotting maritime coordinates to receive cocaine shipments, bribery of Honduran officials, and acts of violence towards suspected rival narcotraffickers in Honduras and elsewhere.

Avila managed a team of trusted workers who performed the hands-on jobs in the distribution of cocaine shipments. Honduran authorities intercepted three shipments of cocaine during this time, ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 kilograms of cocaine, that Avila was involved in transporting.

After his October 2023 extradition from Honduras to the United States, Avila pled guilty on February 6 to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine for importation into the United States.

“This sentence sends a clear message that we will not tolerate the flow of illicit drugs into our country,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber. “We will continue to work with our international partners to disrupt and dismantle these organizations.”

The case was investigated by the DEA’s Washington Division in coordination with the Honduran National Police and the Tegucigalpa Country Office. Local assistance was provided by the Virginia State Police, and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing Avila’s arrest and extradition.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin S. Starr prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-16.