CHRISTIANSTED — Two Costa Rican men caught with at least 4,000 pounds of marijuana at sea have a lot of explaining to do in federal court on St. Croix.
Luis Orellana-Orellano, 48, and Keyran Coto-Lopez, 27, each of San José, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Emile Henderson, III, for their initial appearance hearing after being charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana on board a vessel subject to jurisdiction of the United States.
According to court documents, on November 7, 2022, while conducting routine patrol
in international waters in the Eastern Pacific, at approximately 65 nautical miles South of Boca Chica, Panama, the United States Coast Guard Cutter Campbell encountered a go-fast vessel with three individuals on board.
The vessel had the name “Agamenon” painted on the hull, but had no physical flag flown, no registration documents nor registration number. Bales of suspected contraband were also visible on the deck of the vessel. The master of the vessel claimed Colombian nationality, but Colombia could not confirm the origin of the vessel.
The vessel was therefore treated as one without nationality, subjecting it to the jurisdiction of the
United States. Along with Orellana-Orellana and Coto-Lopez, a third individual, Alonso Hernandez-Hernandez, 38, was also charged in the drug smuggling operation. A search of the vessel revealed approximately 57 bales of suspected marijuana weighing 4,104 pounds.
Two NIK field tests were conducted on the suspected substance which both yielded positive results for marijuana. If convicted, both face a minimum of 10 years and maximum of life in prison.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being investigated jointly by U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) and Assistant United States Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. U.S. Attorney Smith said that a criminal Indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Oh no! Marijuana! Thank goodness the Coast Guard is saving us from weed and ignoring seafarers in distress!