Yugool Persaud, Maritime Drug Trafficking, Florida 2014

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Tampa, Florida – Yugool Persaud Guilty in Maritime Drug Trafficking Case

A federal jury in Tampa, Florida has found Yugool Persaud (61, Guyana) guilty of two counts of violating the U.S. Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act. The jury delivered their verdict on February 2014.

Persaud and his accomplice, Desmond Wilson (54, Guyana), face a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. Their sentencing is scheduled for February 20, 2014.

The guilty verdict comes after a lengthy investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael Meyer and Assistant United States Attorney Shauna Hale.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment on board the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship WAVE KNIGHT observed a suspicious fishing vessel, the MISS TIFFANY, transiting a known drug trafficking corridor in the Caribbean Sea. When the WAVE KNIGHT called over the radio, the MISS TIFFANY began evasive maneuvers, while jettisoning white bales overboard. U.S. Coast Guard boarding teams recovered 1,265 kilograms of marijuana from the jettison fields, boarded the MISS TIFFANY, and detained Persaud and Wilson. Both men were turned over to special agents from Panama Express Strike Force.

The Panama Express Strike Force (PANEX) is a federally approved Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) consisting of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Coast Guard, Internal Revenue Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Operation Panama Express currently targets South American-based drug trafficking organizations responsible for smuggling drugs to the United States and elsewhere for distribution.

Persaud and Wilson were indicted on September 5, 2013. The U.S. Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act is a federal law that prohibits the use of a vessel for the purpose of illicit trafficking of controlled substances.

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