Sean P. Costello U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
A Mexican national, Adrian Palomeque Gordillo, was sentenced to 108 months in prison on August 14, 2025, for smuggling more than a metric ton of cocaine. The sentencing took place before United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer following Gordillo’s guilty plea.
According to court records, the incident occurred on September 24, 2024. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter from the Cutter Munro spotted a suspected drug trafficking vessel in international waters about 160 nautical miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico. After signaling the vessel to stop and firing warning shots without effect, the helicopter crew disabled the boat by shooting out its engines. The crew then recorded video showing individuals on board throwing packages overboard while their vessel was immobilized.
U.S. Coast Guard personnel deployed a Zodiac boat from the Cutter Munro and boarded the disabled vessel. They recovered 24 bales from the water around the boat containing approximately 1,148 kilograms of cocaine.
Gordillo and four others were detained and brought to the United States along with the seized drugs for prosecution under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act. Due to safety concerns and lack of suitable tow points, authorities sank the vessel after completing law enforcement procedures.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Coast Guard and Homeland Security Investigations within the Department of Homeland Security.
Assistant United States Attorney George F. May prosecuted this case.
"This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN)."
