Isaac Enriquez Oyando, Cocaine Smuggling, Florida 2022

Tampa, Florida Jury Convicts Five Traffickers for Cocaine Smuggling

In a significant blow to international drug trafficking, a federal jury in Tampa, Florida has found five defendants guilty of conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine on a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

The defendants, Isaac Enriquez Oyando (34, Mexico), Romeo Santos Hernandez (36, Mexico), John Macias Agua (34, Ecuador), Jaime Velez Arcentales (40, Ecuador), and Eddy Anchundia Velez (32, Ecuador), were part of a seven-person crew smuggling 760 kilograms of cocaine from South America to Mexico.

According to evidence presented at trial, on January 14, 2021, aerial surveillance spotted a suspicious vessel in international waters more than 200 miles south of Huatulco, Mexico. A law enforcement detachment from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Steadfast interdicted the vessel and found seven men onboard – including the five convicted at trial – in the process of trying to throw bales of cocaine overboard.

The defendants from Mexico claimed that they were tricked into going on a drug trip, while the defendants from Ecuador claimed they were adrift at sea and were rescued shortly before the USCG showed up. However, the jury heard evidence that investigators learned of a plan that one of the seven co-conspirators would plead guilty and then provide false information to law enforcement exonerating the others. Bran-Lopez, the person who planned to plead guilty, testified for the defense that he had tricked his co-defendants into thinking they were going on a fishing trip because his family had been kidnapped. However, the timeline of events in Bran-Lopez’s testimony did not match evidence obtained from searches of cellphones and GPS data showing that he and his coconspirators were at sea days before he claimed the kidnapping happened.

Each of the five defendants faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years and up to life in federal prison. The sentencing hearings have been scheduled for November 18, 2022.

The case was investigated by the Panama Express Strike Force, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) comprised of agents and analysts from the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Interagency Task Force South. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.

The total value of the cocaine intercepted was over $20 million. This is a significant blow to international drug trafficking and highlights the dedication of law enforcement agencies in preventing the smuggling of narcotics into the United States.

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