Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari (619) 546-8402, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Fitzwater (619) 546-8756, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Gibbons (619) 546-8419
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY - April 17, 2019
SAN DIEGO - Three South American men were convicted by a federal jury late yesterday of trafficking approximately 1,230 kilograms (2,706 pounds) of cocaine worth more than $28 million on the high seas. The verdict came after a weeklong trial before U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez.
At trial, the government proved that on Dec. 31, 2017, a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter responded to a report of a suspicious vessel traveling in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, approximately 100 nautical miles north of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. The Coast Guard Cutter Stratton launched a helicopter and two small boats to intercept the vessel.
As the helicopter closed in, the defendants - Adrian Andres Cortez-Quinonez, Segundo Marcial Dominguez-Caicedo and Victor Gaspar-Chichande - stopped their go-fast vessel to avoid detection. But as the helicopter circled the vessel, the defendants attempted to evade the helicopter.
The defendants eventually brought their vessel to a stop when they could not outrun the Coast Guard helicopter and then began jettisoning dozens of bails of cocaine overboard. They took off again, but a U.S. Coast Guard marksman onboard the helicopter disabled the fleeing vessel’s engines with precision. The Coast Guard detained the defendants and recovered the jettisoned cocaine. After the defendants were transported to the United States, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration continued the investigation.
“The high seas are not a secret freeway for narco-traffickers to cross with impunity," said U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer. “This verdict is proof that we are watching, and we will take whatever action necessary to prevent these dangerous drugs from hitting our streets. I appreciate the efforts of prosecutors Kevin Mokhtari, Ari Fitzwater and Emily Gibbons and our partners at the Coast Guard and the DEA. Their hard work has led to this outcome."
“Thanks to the determined efforts of the Stratton’s officers and crew, as well as the helicopter detachment, these smugglers have been brought to justice," said Eleventh Coast Guard District Commander, Rear Admiral Peter W. Gautier. “This seizure is just one example of the thousands of kilograms of narcotics seized every month by the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard will continue its tireless fight against trafficking of illegal narcotics at sea and the networks that threaten this country."
“These traffickers attempted to smuggle more than one ton of cocaine into the United States - which would have had a devastating impact on our communities," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Karen Flowers. “Due to the collaborative efforts of the Coast Guard and DEA, we were able to stop these traffickers and keep these deadly drugs out of our communities."
This case is the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on July 15, 2019 before Judge Benitez.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 18cr0421
Adrian Andres Cortez-Quinonez Age: 24 Ecuador
Segundo Marcial Dominguez-Caicedo Age: 35 Colombia
Victor Gaspar-Chichande Age: 29 Ecuador
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine Onboard a Vessel Subject to the Jurisdiction of the United States -
Title 46, U.S.C., Section 70503, 70506(b)
Maximum Penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine
Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Onboard a Vessel Subject to the Jurisdiction of the United States - Title 46, U.S.C., Section 70503
Maximum Penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine
AGENCY
U.S. Coast Guard
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
