In a current courtroom ruling, a Dominican Republic nationwide has been sentenced to greater than 13 years in jail for his involvement in a world drug trafficking operation.
The operation utilized numerous Caribbean ports as a part of its technique to distribute cocaine into america.
Key particulars of the case
Court docket paperwork reveal that 55-year-old Lazaro Viton Rodriguez was sentenced to 13 years and one month in jail for his position in a conspiracy to distribute over 2,000 kilos of cocaine illegally imported into america.
His involvement spanned from 2014 to Could 2019, throughout which he performed a major position in a drug trafficking community working from the Dominican Republic.
Operation logistics
The drug trafficking community employed a system, using vessels comparable to crusing yachts and sport fishing boats to move cocaine from South America via the Caribbean and into america.
– Commercial –
These vessels made stops at numerous Caribbean ports to offer a veneer of legitimacy to every voyage.
One notable interception occurred in November 2018 when the US Customs and Border Safety’s Marine Interdiction Unit seized the vessel Casablanca because it entered US waters close to Key Biscayne, Florida.
Throughout the search of the Casablanca, regulation enforcement officers found over 327 kilograms of cocaine.
– Commercial –
Rodriguez’s position
Rodriguez performed a vital position within the operation, involving himself in buying, registering, and sustaining the vessels used for transporting cocaine.
He facilitated the registration of vessels beneath the names of straw purchasers and oversaw the development of secret compartments on the vessels to hide the illicit cargo.
Moreover, Rodriguez coordinated with crew members by way of satellite tv for pc telephone as they navigated via Caribbean waters to select up cocaine shipments.
Rodriguez pleaded responsible in November final 12 months to taking part in a conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or extra of cocaine for importation into america.
