RICHMOND, Va. – The leader of a Panamanian drug trafficking organization who imported 62 kilograms of cocaine into the United States using commercial shipping vessels was sentenced today to 16 years in prison.
Javier King-Ariano, 48, of Colon, Panama, pleaded guilty on March 21. According to court documents, starting in August 2015, King-Ariano set up a smuggling operation at the Port of Charleston, South Carolina, to import two large shipments of cocaine into the United States. Both cocaine shipments were secreted into shipping containers in Panama and transported by unwitting commercial shipping vessels to the Port of Charleston. In his role as leader of the conspiracy, King-Ariano organized the operation by sending a co-conspirator to inspect the Port of Charleston to assess the viability of smuggling activities, arranged for suppliers to provide the cocaine, managed the offload of cocaine in the United States, and arranged payment for smugglers.
On the first shipment, in February 2016, King-Ariano sent 20 kilograms of cocaine from Panama to the Port Charleston. On February 12, 2016, law enforcement intercepted the 20 kilograms of cocaine sent by King-Ariano. On or about February 13, 2016, King-Ariano’s co-conspirators obtained a bag containing 15 kilograms of cocaine from undercover law enforcement officials. Upon taking possession of the cocaine, the co-conspirators boarded a commercial bus line and traveled to the Eastern District of Virginia. On or about February 14, 2016, law enforcement executed a drug interdiction operation in Sussex County, Virginia, on the commercial bus on which the co-conspirator was traveling. Shortly thereafter, law enforcement officers seized the bag containing the 15 kilograms of cocaine.
On the second shipment, in March 2016, King-Ariano sent 42 kilograms of cocaine from Panama to the Port Charleston. On March 11, 2016, law enforcement intercepted the 42 kilograms of cocaine sent by King-Ariano. On or about March 13, 2016, King-Ariano’s co-conspirator obtained a bag containing 22 kilograms of cocaine from undercover law enforcement officials. Upon taking possession of the cocaine, the co-conspirator traveled to Spartanburg, South Carolina. Later that day, law enforcement executed a traffic stop on the vehicle driven by the co-conspirator. During the traffic stop, law enforcement seized the bag containing the 22 kilograms of cocaine.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), Brothers Grimm and Holy City Shipping. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Daniel Salter, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Atlanta Division; Nick Annan, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Charleston; Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Superintendent of Virginia State Police; Humberto I. Cardounel, Jr., Chief of Henrico County Police Division, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik S. Siebert and Peter S. Duffey are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:16-cr-59.
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