Two Former Miami-Dade Residents Sentenced For Their Role In Smuggling Cocaine Aboard Cargo Ships

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’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), announce that David Rodriguez, 47, of Miami, and Rogny Jerez Lopez, 35, of Hialeah, were sentenced on December 4, 2013 for their role in a drug importation conspiracy involving the smuggling of cocaine aboard cargo ships operated by King Ocean Services. U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore sentenced David Rodriguez to 235 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and Rogny Jerez Lopez to 87 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.

The investigation revealed that beginning in approximately 2005 through 2012, Rodriguez, the leader of a Miami-based drug-trafficking organization, and Jerez Lopez, a former King Ocean Services employee working at Port Everglades, were involved in the importation of millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine. Rodriguez, Jerez Lopez and their co-conspirators smuggled the cocaine into the United States by having it concealed inside cargo containers while King Ocean Services cargo vessels were docked at ports overseas. Once the vessels arrived at Port Everglades, Jerez Perez assisted in removing the narcotics from the cargo vessels and into the hands of drug traffickers under the direction of Rodriguez.

This case was the result of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) led by ICE-HSI. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ICE-HSI, the South Florida Money Laundering Strike Force, the Broward Sheriff's Office and the DEA. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aimee Jimenez.

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.