Guatemalan Man Gets 11 Years in Prison for Role in Smuggling Cocaine From Colombia to U.S.
A member of the Guatemalan Police Department escorts the alleged drug trafficker Mynor Salazar, also known as "El 7", after a court hearing in Guatemala City, on February 15, 2021. - A state court in Texas has submitted an extradition request for Salazar, accusing him of being the head of a group bringing heroin into the US. JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images

A U.S. federal court sentenced a Guatemalan man to more than 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to a "Colombia-to-United States cocaine conspiracy."

In a statement released on Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio said Jose Luis DeLeon-Baltazar, 40, was sentenced to 140 months in prison for distributing at least five kilograms or more of cocaine on the high seas.

Guatemalan Man Extradited to Ohio From Colombia

The Guatemalan man was extradited to Columbus, Ohio from Bogota, Colombia in March 2020. The U.S. Attorney's office said DeLeon-Baltazar is the second defendant to be extradited to the U.S. in this case.

DeLeon-Baltazar, also known as "Enano," was indicted in September 2018. As part of his plea, DeLeon-Baltazar admitted last June that he conspired with others to ship hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, via sea and land, through Central America and Mexico to the U.S.

Specifically, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute at least five kilograms or more of cocaine on the high seas, which is a federal crime punishable by at least 10 years in jail.

Colombia-to-U.S. Cocaine Pipeline

Court documents revealed that as part of the "conspiracy," drug traffickers would use "load" coordinators to assist with the logistics of cocaine shipments.

The coordinators would also assist in locating drivers and boat operators for narcotic-laden vehicles and vessels and securing shared investments from multiple co-conspirators in specific cocaine shipments.

Conspirators allegedly recruited fishermen and other commercial maritime laborers to transport cocaine and refuel vessels.

Conspirators also paid a "tax" or "fee" to send cocaine through areas controlled by a different drug cartel. Members of the drug trafficking group reportedly shared information on the activities and locations of law enforcement and military personnel assigned to interdict narcotics shipments.

They also sheltered individuals who were at risk of extradition to other countries. The U.S. Attorney's Office said low-level co-conspirators would take responsibility for the seized cocaine to free higher-level members.

Court documents showed that DeLeon-Baltazar received multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine transported on go-fast speed boats from Colombia into Guatemala.

Authorities said once the cocaine arrived in Guatemala, DeLeon-Baltazar would hide the cocaine in buildings at Tecun Uman, Guatemala. The illegal drugs would then be transported across Guatemala's northern border into Mexico.

The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a go-fast boat on May 19, 2016. This operation, which was carried out some 400 miles south of the Guatemala-Mexico border, led to the confiscation of 880 kilograms of cocaine.

Authorities said that shipment was supposed to be received by DeLeon-Baltazar in Guatemala, where he would store it before being transported to Mexico.

Additional cocaine shipments related to this case were seized in several operations that also led to the arrest of other co-conspirators.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

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