CHRISTIANSTED — A native of Costa Rica admitted to drug smuggling charges in federal court in Golden Rock today.
Luis Antonio Orellana- Orellano, 69, of San Jose, pled guilty in front of U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson III to his role in conspiracy charges related to the transport of at least 4,000 pounds of marijuana on board a vessel subject to U.S. jurisdiction, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.
His sentencing is scheduled for October 21, 2023, where he faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to court documents, on November 7, 2022, during their patrol in international
waters in the Eastern Pacific, 65 nautical miles South of Boca Chica, Panama, the United States
Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Campbell observed a go-fast vessel. USCGC Campbell launched a
smaller, Over the Horizon (OTH), vessel and arrived alongside the go-fast vessel. The OTH
reported three occupants on board with no physical flag flown, no registration documents, a
registration number painted on the hull, and the name “Agamenon” on the hull.
Visible contraband was seen on the deck of the vessel and its three occupants, to include Orellana -Orellana , were detained. The vessel had no registration and the master claimed Colombian nationality for the vessel. The Republic of Colombia could neither confirm nor deny nationality to the USCGC, therefore, the vessel was treated as one without nationality, subjecting it to the jurisdiction of the United States.
Full boarding was conducted by the USCG and a search of the vessel, which was taking on water and was approximately half sunk, and the surrounding water, resulted in the seizure of approximately 57 bales of suspected marijuana for a total at-sea weight of 4,104 pounds.
The two other occupants of the vessel, Keyran Coto Lopez and Alonso Hernandez -Hernandez
have initial appearances scheduled in U.S. District Court on June 21, 2023 for an information that
charges them with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 kilograms or more of
marijuana while on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and possession
of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute while on board a vessel subject to the United States.. If convicted, they each face a maximum of 20 years imprisonment.
This case is being investigated jointly by U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration. (DEA). Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa 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 Information is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.