California Man, Josue Adan Lemus-Lara, Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Leading Multi-Ton Cocaine Trafficking Organization

SAN DIEGO – Josue Adan Lemus-Lara, aka ‘Fenix,’ was sentenced to 260 months in prison in federal court today for his role as the leader of a multi-ton cocaine trafficking organization.

Lemus-Lara, a Guatemalan national, was convicted of all charges in a maritime cocaine trafficking conspiracy after a week-long jury trial in November 2023. The conviction stems from a multi-year wiretap investigation led by agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Prosecutors presented evidence from 13 rounds of court-authorized wiretaps demonstrating that in 2017 Lemus-Lara traveled from Guatemala to Colombia to oversee the Lemus-Lara Organization’s cocaine trafficking operation and to establish new cocaine supply lines. As Lemus-Lara told a co-conspirator, ‘We either make money or we get thrown in jail or we get killed.’

In January 2018, U.S. Coast Guard officers seized a vessel sent by the organization with cocaine concealed within fuel barrels. Prosecutors presented evidence at trial showing Lemus-Lara’s role as head of South American operations for the organization, including extensive wiretap transcripts, pictures Lemus-Lara sent of bespoke cocaine brands the group was procuring, and over a dozen photos of a cocaine laboratory in the Ecuadorian jungle.

The organization moved multi-ton quantities of cocaine at sea from South America to Guatemala and ultimately over land to Mexican counterparts, including members of the Sinaloa Cartel, for importation to the United States. In just a five-day span in May 2017, the organization dispatched four vessels, each carrying over 750 kilograms of cocaine from South America to Guatemala. Interdiction efforts by the United States Coast Guard stymied two of those loads, including 781 kilograms seized from a vessel.

Josue Lemus-Lara was initially apprehended by Colombian authorities in February 2019 and was extradited to the United States from Colombia on December 2, 2020. This case was a ‘highly sophisticated’ and ‘spectacular conspiracy in its scope and depth,’ said Chief U.S. District Judge Dana M. Sabraw.

This significant sentencing reflects HSI, the United States Attorney’s Office, and our partner law enforcement agencies’ commitment to holding international drug traffickers responsible for their illicit activity,’ said Chad Plantz, special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. ‘This complex multi-year investigation demonstrates HSI’s ability to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations and our commitment to protecting our communities and the people of the United States of America.’

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration worked together to bring this case to justice. The U.S. Coast Guard also played a key role in the investigation and interdiction efforts. This case is a testament to the dedication and hard work of law enforcement agencies in disrupting and dismantling transnational criminal organizations.

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