Four Colombians have been charged in Puerto Rico for their alleged roles in a drug smuggling operation that was busted near Trinidad and Tobago.
The US Attorney's Office for the District of Puerto Rico announced that three Colombian nationals and another person with dual French and Colombian citizenship, have been charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance aboard a vessel, in violation of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA).
“If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of life in prison on the drug trafficking charges and a maximum sentence of fifteen years in prison for violations of the DTVIA (Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act),” said a statement issued by the US Attorney's Office for the district of Puerto Rico.
Reports indicate that a US Coast Guard team was patrolling waters approximately 132 nautical miles north-east of Trinidad and Tobago in March, when they spotted and intercepted a semi-submersible.
Law enforcement boarded the vessel and allegedly found 2,370 kilograms of cocaine, which they seized, along with the four men whom they arrested.
The four defendants are Juan José Castaño-Palomo (a dual French and Colombian national), and Colombian nationals Carlos Alberto Bravo-Sarasty, Gustavo Rodríguez-Salazar, and Emilson Yordao Quiñonez-Hachito.