A Dominican Republic national was sentenced yesterday to a prison term of 15 years and four months for his involvement in an international conspiracy aimed at distributing 385 kilograms of cocaine for illegal importation into the United States.
Court documents and evidence presented during the trial revealed that from October 2016 through May 2019, Cesar Gomez Almonte, aged 51, was part of a drug trafficking network based in the Dominican Republic. This network transported cocaine from South America, through the Caribbean, to the United States. The group utilized vessels such as sailing yachts and sport fishing boats to transport the drugs, often making stops at various Caribbean ports to lend legitimacy to each voyage.
One such vessel, named Casablanca, was intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Marine Interdiction Unit in November 2018 as it entered U.S. waters near Key Biscayne, Florida. Upon boarding and searching the Casablanca, officers seized over 327 kilograms of cocaine.
Almonte played multiple roles within this conspiracy. He brokered the use of Casablanca by another drug trafficking network to send cocaine directly to the United States and participated in locating and purchasing vessels for transporting cocaine. Furthermore, Almonte attempted to alter the ownership of one of the network's boats from one straw purchaser to another in an effort to disguise its true owners. This boat had been used previously to transport approximately 500 kilograms of cocaine.
In November 2023, a federal jury in the District of Columbia convicted Almonte on charges of conspiring to import five kilograms or more of cocaine into the United States.
The announcement was made by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The case received support from the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and HSI’s El Dorado Task Force. The investigation was carried out by HSI New York and DEA New York.
Acting Assistant Deputy Chief Melanie L. Alsworth, along with Trial Attorneys Samantha Thompson and Janet Turnbull of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, prosecuted the case. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance, and authorities in the Dominican Republic were thanked for their help in the investigation.