Ramon Manriquez Castillo, Edgar Rodriguez Ruano, Fernando Javier Escobar Tito, and Anderson Jair Gamboa Nieto appeared in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, facing drug trafficking charges following their extradition from Guinea-Bissau. The Republic of Guinea-Bissau surrendered the men to the United States on April 16.
The unsealed federal grand jury indictment accuses the defendants of conspiring to distribute large amounts of cocaine through various countries including Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Guinea-Bissau. The alleged trafficking operations, spanning from November 2023 to September 2024, involved the use of a U.S.-registered airplane carrying a U.S. citizen.
Law enforcement authorities arrested the defendants in Guinea-Bissau in September 2024 and seized 2.6 metric tons of cocaine. This arrest resulted from collaboration among the Republic of Guinea-Bissau's government, its Judicial Police, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI Washington Field Office, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, and the U.S. Embassy to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. The defendants were surrendered to U.S. authorities and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick Hunt in Florida's Southern District court.
If found guilty, the defendants face sentences ranging from 10 years to life in federal prison.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Deanne Reuter for the DEA Miami Field Division, and Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the FBI Washington Field Office.
DEA Miami and the FBI Washington Field Office are jointly investigating the case, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Ustynoski is leading the prosecution.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations through a coordinated, multi-agency approach. The effort is also linked to Operation Take Back America, a nationwide DOJ initiative targeting cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
The indictment is an allegation, with the defendants presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The press release and any updates are available on the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida’s website, while related court documents can be accessed through the Southern District of Florida's district court website under case number 25-cr-60048.