United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced the sentencing of three Ecuadorian nationals involved in a cocaine smuggling case. Mario Montano Camacho, 41, and Juan Ignacio Reyes Delgado, 48, were each sentenced to 78 months in prison by Chief Judge Robert A. Molloy after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine while on board a vessel subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Edison Quijije Cuzme, 35, also from Ecuador, received the same sentence earlier this month for the same charge. All three will face deportation following their incarceration.

The case originated from an incident on December 22, 2023, when the United States Coast Guard Cutter Resolute intercepted a go-fast vessel about 110 nautical miles west of Ecuador during a routine patrol in the Eastern Pacific. The vessel was traveling at high speed without displaying any national flag or other indicators of nationality. As Coast Guard officials pursued it, occupants were seen discarding packages into the ocean. After determining that the vessel had no confirmed nationality from Ecuadorian authorities, it was subdued and treated as stateless. Packages retrieved from the sea contained approximately 1,261 kilograms of cocaine.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Coast Guard and Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yasir Sadat. This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative aimed at identifying and dismantling major criminal organizations threatening the United States through a coordinated multi-agency approach.

Further details about OCDETF can be accessed at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.