JHONNY RODRIGUEZ ALVAREZ, Conspiring To Import Over Three Tons of Cocaine, Louisiana 2019
Container Ship Crew Sentenced for Cocaine Importation
In a shocking case of international cocaine trafficking, a group of 11 crewmembers from South America have been sentenced for conspiring to import over 3,400 kilograms of cocaine into the United States.
On September 19, 2019, United States District Judge Barry Ashe sentenced the defendants, who were crewmembers aboard a container vessel traveling from Chimbote, Peru to Ensenada, Mexico. The vessel was interdicted by the U.S. Coast Guard in international waters south of Costa Rica, where a hidden compartment was found containing the massive stash of cocaine.
The defendants, who were all crewmembers on the vessel, acknowledged that after leaving port in Peru, they met up with speedboats sent from near the Colombia/Ecuador border. The crew used an onboard crane to load the cocaine onto the deck of the container vessel, before moving it into a secret compartment that had been constructed to hide the illicit cargo.
Pursuant to a plea agreement with the U.S. government, the crewmembers faced a statutory maximum sentence of sixty months. District Judge Ashe sentenced each of them to the statutory maximum term, as well as one year of supervised release.
The defendants, who claimed they were forced into participating in the smuggling operation by the individuals who organized the shipment, include:
- JHONNY RODRIGUEZ ALVAREZ, 36, from Colombia
- ARIEL CALVO HENAO, 52, from Colombia
- HECTOR RAFAEL GOMEZ LIMONES, 38, from Ecuador
- VICENTE LOPEZ MERO, 61, from Ecuador
- JESUS JUSTO TASA CERVANTES, 65, from Peru
- BORIS WISMARK VERGARA MONCADA, 54, from Peru
- WALTER REYNALDO VIERA SULLON, 45, from Peru
- EDISON OMAR OTERO CRUZ, 26, from Peru
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the United States Coast Guard. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller.
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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