Roger B. Handberg, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida
Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney has announced that Ciro Ivan Preciado-Marquinez, a 37-year-old Colombian national, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine on the high seas on vessels under U.S. jurisdiction. Preciado faces a potential sentence ranging from a minimum of 10 years to life in federal prison, though no sentencing date has been scheduled yet.
Court documents reveal that in 2018, Preciado was involved in hiring, paying, and providing logistical support for mariners on two maritime vessels intercepted by the United States Coast Guard in the Pacific Ocean. These operations led to the recovery of 941 kilograms of cocaine.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative. The initiative establishes permanent multi-agency task force teams working collaboratively at the same location. This model allows agents from various agencies to conduct intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations aimed at disrupting and dismantling major drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force specifically focuses on dismantling Transnational Criminal Organizations engaged in large-scale drug trafficking and related activities. It includes agents and officers from the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney David Pardo is prosecuting the case.
