Narcotics trafficker extradited from Honduras sentenced
MIAMI – A Honduran national extradited from his native country to the United States was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. The sentence resulted from an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The sentencing of Carlos Arnoldo Lobo, aka Negro, 39, was the culmination of a five-year, multiagency investigation into drug smuggling activities operating near La Ceiba, Honduras. To date, the investigation has resulted in the indictment and conviction of 18 drug traffickers who worked for Lobo. Lobo’s network coordinated the smuggling of cocaine by vessels from Colombia and Ecuador, to Panama and Honduras, then into Guatemala and other countries, including Mexico and the United States. As the owner and operator of several dozen vessels, he controlled drug shipments into and out of the eastern coast of Honduras.
Lobo pleaded guilty Sept. 5 to conspiring to distribute cocaine knowing that the cocaine would be imported into the United States. The conspiracy involved more than 450 kilograms of cocaine during the three years charged in the indictment.
“Lobo’s arrest and sentence has led to the dismantling of a large scale drug trafficking organization responsible for smuggling hundreds tons of cocaine into our country,” said HSI Miami Special Agent in Charge Alysa D. Erichs. “The arrest and sentence should send a strong message to those responsible for the importation of illegal drugs into the United States that we will not rest until they are brought to justice.”
U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, “As a result of the extraordinary efforts of U.S. law enforcement working together with our Honduran law enforcement partners, one of the most significant drug traffickers in Central America has been brought to justice. This case serves as an example that there are no borders when it comes to prosecuting international narcotrafficking; we will continue to work with our international law enforcement partners to bring drug traffickers who distribute illegal substances in the United States to justice.”
The OCDETF program identifies, disrupts and dismantles the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
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