Sean P. Costello U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
On December 4, 2025, Denny Andres Mero Anchundia, a citizen of Ecuador, was sentenced to 235 months in prison for smuggling nearly two metric tons of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean. The sentencing was handed down by United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer after Anchundia pleaded guilty to the charges.
According to court documents, on March 3, 2025, the United States Coast Guard Cutter Kimball was conducting routine patrols in the Eastern Pacific Ocean when it identified a suspicious vessel. The vessel had no nationality markings and was operating in international waters. It carried visible packages and fuel barrels on deck and was powered by three outboard engines.
The Coast Guard intercepted the vessel, which complied with instructions. A boarding team confirmed that the packages onboard were consistent with cocaine. They also verified that the vessel lacked nationality. Six people were found onboard, including Anchundia. Both the crew and approximately 1,828 kilograms of cocaine were transferred to the Kimball. The authorities later determined that the vessel posed a hazard to navigation and sank it. All six individuals were transported to the United States and charged under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act.
United States Attorney Sean P. Costello announced: "The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations."
Assistant United States Attorney George F. May prosecuted the case for the government.
"This case was prosecuted as a 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," according to officials.
