Henry Aguirre-Valois, a 36-year-old Colombian national, has been handed a 16-year prison sentence by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida. He was found guilty of conspiring to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute it on a vessel under U.S. jurisdiction.
According to court records, on November 20, 2023, Aguirre-Valois and three co-defendants transported more than 2.5 tons of cocaine onboard a self-propelled semi-submersible vessel in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
These vessels, which are regularly utilized by drug traffickers, are specifically built to transport large amounts of narcotics unnoticed, according to the agency.
The US Coast Guard Cutter Waesche seized the vessel in international waters about 170 nautical miles west of Ecuador, seizing 2,523 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated wholesale value of $75 million, according to the department.
According to court documents, Aguirre-Valois received a previous conviction in 2019 for trafficking cocaine on a vessel under US jurisdiction. His extended prison sentence was a result of this most recent conviction and his previous illegal conduct.
The sentence for Aguirre-Valois underscores continuous efforts to prevent drug smuggling in international waters, as well as the US government’s commitment to prosecuting repeat criminals, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
The prosecution is part of the OCDETF Strike Force Initiative, according to the agency.
According to the government, the OCDETF’s purpose is to disrupt and dismantle the most prominent drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations using permanent multi-agency task force teams.
Columbian Efforts
Between 1993 and May 2023, the Colombian Navy confiscated 228 unlawful semi- and submersible watercraft. On May 12, 2023, the Navy seized the largest narco-submarine in its history, transporting more than $103 million in cocaine.
