Suspected Ecuadorian drug trafficker Pedro Cornelio Pilligua Iduarte has been extradited to San Diego, California, for his alleged role in a long-running conspiracy to traffic substantial quantities of cocaine from South America to the United States.
According to court documents, Pilligua Iduarte, the owner of multiple Ecuadorian-flagged vessels, allegedly provided logistical support to drug-laden vessels, allowing them to transport tons of cocaine over thousands of nautical miles of open ocean from Ecuador and Colombia to Mexico, for eventual distribution to the United States.
The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of California on March 19, 2021, charged Pilligua Iduarte and others with participating in the conspiracy to traffic substantial quantities of cocaine.
Pilligua Iduarte, an Ecuadorian national, was apprehended by Spanish authorities in April 2021 while visiting Madrid. He arrived in San Diego on February 11, 2022, and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernard G. Skomal.
He is scheduled for a detention hearing before Judge Skomal on February 17, 2022, at 1:30 p.m.
This case is part of Operation Pangeros Locos, a multi-year investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations, along with the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Customs and Border Protection, and the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service.
According to court documents, several Ecuadorian fishing vessels, based in Manta, Ecuador, have operated with impunity while providing material support to drug-laden vessels to allow them to transport tons of cocaine over thousands of nautical miles of open ocean from Ecuador and Colombia to Mexico, for eventual distribution to the United States.
These fishing vessels provide fuel, replacement parts, communication devices, or anything else needed to help the drug-laden vessels complete their thousand-mile journey trafficking metric tons of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico.
Without the support provided by the fishing vessel captains and owners, these drug-laden vessels, typically pangas or low-profile vessels, would not be able to complete this long journey.
This investigation has resulted in the seizure of more than 50,000 kilograms of cocaine, the indictment of 27 fishing vessel captains and owners, and the prosecution of 65 cocaine boat crewmembers.
“The cooperation of the Spanish authorities in this matter is greatly appreciated. With the assistance of our law enforcement colleagues at home and around the world, we will aggressively pursue every avenue available in bringing drug traffickers to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman.
Grossman thanked the prosecution team and San Diego Strike Force agents, led by Homeland Security Investigations, as well as representatives from DEA, FBI, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS), and Customs and Border Protection for their excellent work on this case.
“This extradition sends a resounding message to drug traffickers around the world that the United States law enforcement community will vehemently pursue those who seek to harm Americans with their deadly drugs and violence,” said HSI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz.
Related Federal Cases
- Peter Dimitrov Mirchev, Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine, California 2023 · New York
- Pedro Rafael Gonzalez-Zazueta, Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy, Ari… · Alabama
- Mark Randall Jones, Cocaine Conspiracy, California 2023 · California
- Maurice Tutt, Conspired to Distribute Fentanyl, Cocaine, Methamphetamine, California 2023 · California
- Ricardo Lujan, Cocaine and Methamphetamine Trafficking, California · Idaho
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug Trafficking