Broward County Resident Sentenced For Importing Marijuana From The Bahamas

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Alysa D. Erichs, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), announced that Broward resident Jaime Omar Sotomayor was sentenced on Friday, July 12, 2013 to 84 months imprisonment and four years of supervised release by United States District Judge William J. Zloch on charges of importing marijuana from the Bahamas.

Sotomayor was adjudicated guilty of the following offenses: conspiracy to import 100 kilograms or more of marijuana in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 963 (count one), importation of 100 kilograms of marijuana in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 952(a) (count two), conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846 (count three), and possession with intent to distribution 100 kilograms of marijuana in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1) (count four).

This case stemmed from an interdiction of marijuana by the Palm Beach Police Department and Department of Homeland Security from a boat that traveled from Bimini, Bahamas to West Palm Beach loaded with 667 pounds of marijuana in the center console and coolers located on the vessel.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ICE-HSI and the Palm Beach Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lothrop Morris.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.