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 Elyn Carpio-Pena, a 47-year-old from the Dominican Republic, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to import cocaine into the United States. Carpio-Pena could face a minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, with the possibility of life imprisonment. The date for sentencing has not been scheduled.
Court documents reveal that between October 2014 and May 2019, while living in Mexico, Carpio-Pena acted as an intermediary connecting drug suppliers in Mexico with narcotics buyers in the United States. He earned commissions for each kilogram of cocaine purchased in the U.S. and was involved in laundering drug proceeds.
In May 2019, Carpio-Pena relocated to La Guajira, Colombia, where he organized maritime cocaine smuggling operations from Colombia to the Dominican Republic. These shipments were primarily destined for the United States. During his time in Colombia, he coordinated at least 20 maritime cocaine shipments totaling over 5,000 kilograms. Two shipments were seized by authorities in Puerto Rico.
Carpio-Pena returned to the Dominican Republic in October 2021 and continued coordinating drug shipments until January 2022. During this period, he facilitated three cocaine shipments from Colombia via maritime routes across the Caribbean Sea totaling approximately 900 kilograms.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative aimed at disrupting significant drug traffickers and related criminal activities through multi-agency collaboration. The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force involves agencies such as the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations working together on intelligence-driven operations.
The prosecution is managed by Assistant United States Attorney David Pardo under the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.
