United States Attorney Delia L. Smith has announced the sentencing of three Ecuadorian nationals involved in a cocaine smuggling case. Mario Montano Camacho, 41, and Juan Ignacio Reyes Delgado, 48, were each sentenced to 78 months in prison by Chief Judge Robert A. Molloy after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine while on board a vessel subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Edison Quijije Cuzme, 35, also received a 78-month sentence earlier this month for the same charge. All three individuals will face deportation after serving their sentences.
The incident occurred on December 22, 2023, when the United States Coast Guard Cutter Resolute intercepted a go-fast vessel approximately 110 nautical miles west of Ecuador during a routine patrol in the Eastern Pacific. The vessel was traveling at high speed in international waters without flying a flag or displaying any national indicators. Coast Guard officials observed occupants throwing packages overboard as they pursued the vessel. After subduing it and treating it as one without nationality due to lack of confirmation from Ecuadorian authorities, several packages containing about 1,261 kilograms of cocaine were retrieved from the ocean.
The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yasir Sadat. It is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at identifying and dismantling high-level criminal organizations that pose threats to the United States through a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven approach involving multiple agencies.