On Sept. 29, the FBI announced that a Miami Beach, Florida, man received a sentence of 150 years for his role in an international drug crimes across three continents. During the seven-week trial, prosecutors with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida painted a picture of the defendant as an international drug smuggler and money launder.
Authorities say the defendant was the head of a criminal syndicate which trafficked cocaine from South America into Madrid, Spain and then laundered money earned from those drugs throughout Miami, largely through his exotic car dealership. Investigators believe the defendant may have moved as much as 7,500 kg of cocaine and laundered more than $14 million dollars over the course of a decade. Over 36,000 pages of financial records and other documents were submitted to the court as evidence against the defendant.
The defendant’s conviction included one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 13 substantive counts of money laundering. In addition to the 150 year prison sentence, the federal judge imposing a sentence ordered a $14 million forfeiture and a fine of $2 million.
The 39-year-old defendant had maintained residences in both Miami Beach, Florida, and Madrid, Spain, prior to his arrest. He also had bought various luxury properties throughout Miami-Dade County. The jury which convicted the defendant found that he had illegally obtained much of his assets and property and thus determined they should be forfeited.
If you are a Florida resident currently facing charges for serious drug crimes you should know that you will likely be against multiple state and federal law enforcement agencies. These organizations have enormous resources in which they are able to devote thousands of labor hours toward collecting evidence against you. However, sometimes the evidence they collect is irrelevant, or maybe inadmissible in court due to certain factors. That is why having experienced legal representation is so crucial. A competent attorney can assist tremendously by identifying those weaknesses in the case against you.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Head of International Narcotics Trafficking and Money Laundering Organization Sentenced to 150 Years in Prison” Sep. 29, 2014
