Tampa, FL – Elyn Carpio-Pena, a 47-year-old from the Dominican Republic, has admitted guilt in a conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States. Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announced that Carpio-Pena could face a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison. The sentencing date is yet to be determined.
Court documents reveal that between October 2014 and May 2019, while living in Mexico, Carpio-Pena acted as an intermediary for drug suppliers in Mexico and wholesale narcotics buyers in the United States. He facilitated transactions by connecting sellers with buyers and earned commissions for each kilogram of cocaine sold in the U.S. Additionally, he arranged for laundering the proceeds from these drug sales.
In May 2019, Carpio-Pena relocated to La Guajira, Colombia. There he organized maritime smuggling operations of cocaine from Colombia to the Dominican Republic, with many shipments destined for the United States. During his time in Colombia, he was responsible for coordinating at least 20 maritime shipments totaling over 5,000 kilograms of cocaine. Two shipments were intercepted and seized in Puerto Rico.
Carpio-Pena returned to the Dominican Republic in October 2021 and continued coordinating drug shipments until January 2022. In this period alone, he received approximately 900 kilograms of cocaine from Colombia via maritime routes across the Caribbean Ocean.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative aimed at dismantling significant drug traffickers and related criminal organizations through collaborative multi-agency efforts. The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force specifically targets transnational criminal organizations involved in large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering activities.
The task force includes agents from various agencies such as the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorney David Pardo is leading the prosecution under the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.