Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Ciro Ivan Preciado-Marquinez (37, Colombia) has pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine on the high seas on vessels subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Preciado faces a minimum of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, in 2018, Preciado hired, paid, and provided logistical support to mariners on two separate maritime vessels that the United States Coast Guard interdicted in the Pacific Ocean. Law enforcement recovered 941 kilograms of cocaine from these vessels.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi- jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The specific mission of the OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations involved in large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering, and related activities. The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Pardo.
