Sean P. Costello U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
A federal court has sentenced Tanyl Damian Anchundia-Rezebala, an Ecuadorian national, to 108 months in prison for smuggling over a ton of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean. The sentencing was handed down by United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer after Anchundia-Rezebala pleaded guilty to the charges.
According to court documents, on September 24, 2024, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter from the Cutter MUNRO spotted a drug smuggling vessel about 160 nautical miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico. The vessel did not display any nationality markings and was moving north at high speed through an area known for drug trafficking. Suspect packages were visible on deck.
The Coast Guard helicopter first fired warning shots that failed to stop the vessel. It then used disabling fire to shoot out the boat’s engines. While disabled, crew members were seen discarding packages into the ocean—a scene captured on video by the helicopter crew.
Personnel from the Coast Guard boarded the vessel using a Zodiac-style boat launched from their cutter and recovered 24 bales from the surrounding water. These bales contained approximately 1,092 kilograms of cocaine.
Anchundia-Rezebala and four others aboard were detained and transferred along with the drugs to USCG Cutter MUNRO before being brought to the United States for prosecution under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act. Because it lacked suitable tow points and was far from land, authorities deemed the seized vessel a navigation hazard and sank it after completing law enforcement activities.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama announced these developments.
The investigation involved both 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 for federal authorities.
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—an initiative designed to deploy resources across agencies like Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN), with aims including curbing illegal immigration and dismantling transnational criminal organizations.
