Two Miami-Dade County Men Convicted Of Drug Trafficking

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, Amos Rojas, Jr., United States Marshal, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Noel Manheimer, Director of Marine Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Dan Alexander, Chief, Boca Raton Police Department, Vince Demasi, Chief, West Palm Beach Police Department, Scott Israel, Sheriff, Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BSO), and Dave Aronberg, State Attorney, Office of the State Attorney for Palm Beach County, announce today that following a two week trial in West Palm Beach, a jury convicted Osvaldo Domingo Ceballo, 44, of Hialeah, and Yumar Oliva, 43, of Miami, of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride and possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 21, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley. At sentencing, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison up to a maximum of life in prison, a mandatory minimum period of supervised release of five years up to life, a maximum $4 million fine, and a $100 special assessment as to both the conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute charge and the possession with intent to distribute charge.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Taverne Pierre Louis operated a large scale drug trafficking organization responsible for the importation and distribution of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Haiti and the Bahamas to Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Osvaldo Domingo Ceballo and Yumar Oliva facilitated Taverne Pierre Louis’ drug distribution organization by transporting the cocaine. During the course of this investigation, 27 kilograms of cocaine and over 100 grams of cocaine base, commonly referred to as “crack” cocaine, were seized.

This case is the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate, and prosecute high level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the DEA, USMS, CBP, Boca Raton Police Department, West Palm Beach Police Department, BSO and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer C. Nucci.

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.