$28 million of cocaine seized off Miami Beach. Three men charged
When U.S. Coast Guard members boarded a vessel for a routine safety inspection Tuesday they weren’t expecting to behold the largest illegal haul of cocaine their station had seen since the 1990s — more than 3,500 pounds of white powder worth about $28 million.
“This was the largest USCG Small boat station cocaine seizure since 1995,” said Lt. Matthew Ross, Coast Guard Station Miami Beach commanding officer. “Protecting our maritime borders from illicit drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations remains one of our highest priorities.”
On Tuesday, crew members from U.S. Coast Guard Station Miami Beach were patrolling the waters near Government Cut when they made contact with the “Best Bet,” a 65-foot sports fishing vessel.
Aboard the boat was Captain Joseito Diaz De Oleo and crew members Erasme Catalino Paulino Rodriguez and Ober Alexander Villavicencio Jimenez, an arrest report reads. Coast Guard members discovered the boat hadn’t checked in with Customs and Border Protection and escorted the boat to the agency’s base.
According to the arrest report:
During another inspection by Customs, a K-9 alerted there were narcotics aboard the “Best Bet.” Authorities did a thorough sweep and found hidden compartments that had more than 1,000 packages of cocaine, totaling about 3,715 pounds.
The three men were arrested, and two of them revealed to authorities the smuggling operation that they were hired to complete. The pair, who were not identified, were hired in the Dominican Republic to retrieve a boat in Miami and take it to a location off the Turks and Caicos.
They were offered $100,000 to successfully smuggle the cocaine into Miami, the report reads. The three men boarded the “Best Bet,” captained by Diaz De Oleo, and traveled to the Turks and Caicos, where a smaller fishing vessel pulled alongside and duffel bags of cocaine were loaded onto the “Best Bet.”
Once the drugs were onboard, they were stashed away in the hidden compartments and a return course was made to Miami.
“Disrupting maritime narcotics smuggling like this demonstrates the power of teamwork in safeguarding our nation and holding criminals accountable,” said Andy Blanco, executive director of CBP Air and Marine Operations Southeast Region. “Smugglers should be warned that our whole-of-government team is watching, and they will be caught.”
Attorneys for Rodriguez, Diaz De Oleo and Jimenez could not be reached for comments. It is unclear if they are still in jail Friday night.
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