Atlanta Man Sentenced To Over 5 Years For Smuggling Cocaine Into A Florida Port Via Container Ship

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Kathryn K. Mizelle has sentenced Wesley Berton Paul (48, Georgia) to 5 years and 11 months in federal prison for importing cocaine into the United States from Panama. Paul entered a guilty plea on August 19, 2024. 

According to court documents, in April of 2022, Paul and others in Panama and New York coordinated a shipment of 15 kilograms of cocaine from Panama to Port Everglades, Florida. The cocaine was hidden inside a cargo container’s refrigeration unit. Law enforcement seized the cocaine upon its arrival to Florida.

Paul’s role in the conspiracy was to secure compromised port workers in Florida to offload the cocaine for further distribution within the United States. As compensation for his illicit services, Paul was to be paid in bricks of cocaine, which he would later sell to others.

This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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 Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David J. Pardo.