A New York resident has been charged in Broward County, Florida for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and attempting to possess with the intent to distribute, cocaine.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Mark Selby, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), Adolphus P. Wright, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, Scott Israel, Sheriff, Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), and Diane J. Sabatino, Director, Field Operation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Miami Field Office, and made the announcement.
Siffredo Gonzalez, 39, of New York, is charged in a two-count indictment with conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute and attempting to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute. If convicted, Gonzalez faces a minimum mandatory sentence of ten years and a maximum statutory sentence of life imprisonment on each count.
According to court documents, including the criminal complaint and indictment, on Dec. 15, 2016, Customs and Border Protection officers located approximately 83 kilograms of cocaine in a shipping container at Port Everglades. The container, which also held avocados, originated in the Dominican Republic. On Jan. 10, 2017, Siffredo Gonzalez is alleged to have met with an undercover agent and paid him $25,000 to return the interdicted cocaine.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ICE-HSI, DEA, Broward County Sheriff’s Office and CBP. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anita White.
An indictment and a criminal complaint are formal charging documents notifying the defendant of the charges. All persons charged by indictment and/or complaint are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
