Special Assistant U. S. Attorney Emily Reuter (619) 546-9706
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY– September 28, 2015
SAN DIEGO – The last of four defendants was sentenced in federal court today to 37 months in custody for smuggling more than 11,600 pounds of marijuana on two panga boats traveling together in international waters approximately 115 nautical miles southwest of Ensenada, Mexico.
This is the largest marijuana interdiction by the U.S. Coast Guard off the California coast since 2011.
Armando Rodriguez-Ramirez was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marilyn L. Huff. The defendant pleaded guilty on January 15, 2015 to Conspiracy to Import Marijuana Intended for Importation. Defendants Reyes Rodriguez-Gomez, Jose Transito Rangel-Luna and Francisco Antonio Castro-Aviles previously entered guilty pleas to the same crime and were sentenced to 78, 30 and 21 months, respectively.
“We aren’t going to let our oceans become a freeway for drug traffickers,” said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy. “Smugglers might think the vast Pacific is a good place to be invisible, but these defendants know otherwise.”
According to the complaint, the four defendants were arrested on July 29, 2014, after their two drug smuggling vessels were spotted by a Coast Guard aircrew from Air Station Sacramento, California. The Coast Guard Cutter Stratton from Alameda, California, and Cutter Petrel from San Diego, were patrolling in the area and launched pursuit boats to intercept the vessels. The defendants abandoned an approximately 55-foot vessel laden with marijuana and fled in a 35-foot panga.
The Coast Guardsmen chased the defendants for approximately two hours before they stopped the fleeing vessel by shouldering it, thus allowing a Coast Guard boarding team to take the defendants into custody. The drug-laden panga as well as floating bales of marijuana were also recovered by the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard Cutter Haddock from San Diego also participated in the interdiction.
The crew of the Cutter Petrel turned the four defendants over to agents from Homeland Security Investigations who investigated the crime, according to the complaint.
“The success of prosecutors, investigators and Coast Guardsmen in this case highlights our whole-of-government campaign to combat the threats posed by violent transnational organized crime networks, which erode stability, security and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere,” said Vice Adm. Charles Ray, commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area. “Together we stand ready to target, attack and disrupt criminal networks using all of the authorities, capabilities, competencies and partnerships our Nation has to offer, both at home and abroad.”
“Homeland Security Investigations is committed to combating the threat of transnational criminal organizations and their illicit smuggling activity whether it be by land, air or sea,” said Mike Carney, deputy special agent in charge for ICE Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego. “In this smuggling event the San Diego Maritime Task Force, comprised of investigators from HSI, U.S. Border Patrol, San Diego Sheriff’s Department, San Diego Harbor Police and the Coast Guard Investigative Service, put together a strong case building upon the great work of the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton.”
In his plea agreement, Rodriguez-Ramirez admitted that the larger of the two pangas was loaded with about 5,305 kilograms of marijuana and that he and fellow crew members were helping transport it to the U.S. for distribution.
The Coast Guard and its interagency partners have seized more than 30,000 pounds of marijuana off the California coast in Fiscal Year 2015, which runs from Oct. 1, 2014, to Sept. 30, 2015. In Fiscal Year 2014, Coast Guardsmen seized more than 121,000 pounds of marijuana worth over $110 million. Coast Guard officials attribute the increased law enforcement presence in the California Coastal Region, through interagency operations, with the drop in maritime smuggling efforts.
Armando Rodriguez-Ramirez was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marilyn L. Huff.
DEFENDANT Case Number: 14CR2415-H
Armando Rodriguez-Ramirez Age 24 Mazatlán, Mexico
Other Defendants:
Reyes Rodriguez-Gomez Age 46 Mazatlán, Mexico
Jose Transito Rangel-Luna Age 49 Mazatlán, Mexico
Francisco Antonio Castro-Aviles Age 25 San Quintin, Mexico
SUMMARY OF CHARGE
Conspiracy to Import Marijuana Intended for Importation, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 959, 960, and 963
Maximum penalty: Life in prison, $10 million fine, $100 special assessment, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years.
AGENCIES
U.S. Coast Guard
Homeland Security Investigations
Video from the Bust -
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/425675/coast-guardsmen-interdict-11000-pounds-marijuana
Photos from the offload -
https://www.dvidshub.net/image/1476095/coast-guard-cutter-stratton-offloads-seized-marijuana
Video from the Offload -