GRIMY TIMES
Tampa, Florida – A grim day in court as Vicente Lopez Mero (67, Ecuador) was sentenced to 19 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine aboard a self-propelled semi-submersible vessel. The conviction followed Lopez Mero’s guilty plea on March 26, 2025.
According to court documents, the crime syndicate’s modus operandi was as audacious as it was illegal. On October 27, 2024, Lopez Mero and four co-conspirators managed to transport 3,749 kilograms of cocaine aboard a specialized vessel designed for drug smuggling. The USCGS Munro, a United States Coast Guard Legend-class cutter, intercepted the semi-submersible in international waters, 960 nautical miles north of French Polynesia.
The seizure was colossal: over $82 million worth of cocaine was taken off the streets, a blow to transnational criminal organizations. Lopez Mero’s previous conviction for smuggling large quantities of cocaine within the ballast tanks of an international container ship in 2020 serves as evidence of his repeated involvement in drug trafficking.
This high-profile prosecution is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Panama Express Strike Force Initiative, a multi-agency task force aimed at dismantling significant criminal organizations. The Strike Force, comprised of agents and officers from various federal agencies, collaborates to disrupt large-scale drug trafficking and related activities.
Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee led the prosecution on behalf of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. The relentless efforts of the OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force have once again demonstrated the collective power of law enforcement in combating international drug trafficking networks.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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