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Venezuela First Lady’s Nephews Nabbed in 800kg Cocaine Plot
NEW YORK – Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, 30, and Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas, 31, the nephews of Venezuela’s First Lady, were found guilty today of a massive cocaine conspiracy, the Department of Justice announced. The pair schemed to import over 800 kilograms of cocaine into the United States, a brazen attempt to flood American streets with deadly narcotics and line their pockets with millions.
The conviction follows a grueling two-week jury trial presided over by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, speaking after the verdict, didn’t mince words. “Today, a unanimous jury found Efrain Antonio Campo Flores and Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas guilty of conspiring to traffic in massive quantities of cocaine,” he stated. “They thought they would make millions of dollars. What they ended up with is a conviction in an American court and the prospect of years in federal prison.”
The evidence presented painted a clear picture of a sophisticated operation. Beginning in August 2015, Campo Flores and Flores de Freitas worked with associates in Venezuela and beyond, plotting to ship large cocaine loads via aircraft from Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela. The scheme involved legitimate-seeming flight plans intended to mask the illicit cargo. A key break in the case came through a confidential informant (“CW-1”) working with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Honduras, who connected the pair to potential transportation routes.
The investigation deepened with undercover DEA operatives posing as drug traffickers. In October 2015, the defendants met with undercover sources in Honduras and Caracas, Venezuela, even providing a kilogram of cocaine as a “sample” – described as a “little animal” – to demonstrate quality. The meetings included detailed planning for shipments, with a scheduled initial load planned for November 15, 2015. The operation was a calculated gamble, and the defendants believed they had all the angles covered.
But the DEA was several steps ahead. In a desperate attempt to secure a multi-million-dollar payment, Campo Flores and Flores de Freitas flew to Haiti on a private jet in November 2015. However, Haitian law enforcement, acting on information from the DEA, arrested them and expelled them from the country. They were immediately flown to Westchester County International Airport in White Plains, New York, effectively ending their drug trafficking ambitions.
Campo Flores and Flores de Freitas were convicted of conspiracy to (i) import five or more kilograms of cocaine into the United States from a foreign country; and (ii) distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine knowing and intending that it would be imported into the United States. They now face a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison, with a potential maximum penalty of life behind bars. The final sentencing will be determined by the judge, but one thing is certain: these two privileged nephews learned a harsh lesson about the reach of American justice.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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