Pasar al contenido principal
U.S. flag

Un sitio oficial del Gobierno de Estados Unidos

Así es como usted puede verificarlo

Dot gov
Los sitios web oficiales usan .gov
Un sitio web .gov pertenece a una organización oficial del Gobierno de Estados Unidos.
Https

Los sitios web seguros .gov usan HTTPS
Un candado ( Candado Un candado cerrado ) o https:// significa que usted se conectó de forma segura a un sitio web .gov. Comparta información sensible sólo en sitios web oficiales y seguros.

  • Quiénes somos
    • Sobre la DEA
    • Mission
    • Nuestra historia
    • Divisiones Nacionales
      • Atlanta
        • Atlanta Leadership
        • Atlanta Contacts
      • Caribbean
        • Caribbean Leadership
        • Caribbean Contacts
      • Chicago
        • Chicago Leadership
        • Chicago Contacts
      • Dallas
        • Dallas Leadership
        • Dallas Contacts
      • Detroit
        • Detroit Leadership
        • Detroit Contacts
      • El Paso
        • El Paso Leadership
        • El Paso Contacts
      • Headquarters
      • Houston
        • Houston Leadership
        • Houston Contacts
      • Los Angeles
        • Los Angeles Leadership
        • Los Angeles Contacts
      • Louisville
        • Louisville Leadership
        • Louisville Contacts
      • Miami
        • Miami Leadership
        • Miami Contacts
      • New England
        • New England Leadership
        • New England Contacts
      • New Jersey
        • New Jersey Contacts
      • New Orleans
        • New Orleans Leadership
        • New Orleans Contacts
      • New York
        • New York Leadership
        • New York Contacts
      • Omaha
        • Omaha Leadership
        • Omaha Contacts
      • Philadelphia
        • Philadelphia Leadership
        • Philadelphia Contacts
      • Phoenix
        • Phoenix Leadership
        • Phoenix Contacts
      • Rocky Mountain
        • Rocky Mountain Contacts
      • San Diego
        • San Diego Leadership
        • San Diego Contacts
      • San Francisco
        • San Francisco Contacts
      • Seattle
        • Seattle Contacts
      • St. Louis
        • St. Louis Leadership
        • St. Louis Contacts
      • Washington, DC
        • Washington Leadership
        • Washington Contacts
    • DEA Museum
    • Oficinas extranjeras
      • Africa
      • Andean
      • Caribbean
      • Europe
      • Far East
      • Middle East
      • North and Central America
      • Southern Cone
    • Divisiones operativas
      • División de Aviación
      • División de Control de Desvíos
    • Wall of Honor
    • Contáctenos
      • Submit a Tip
      • Extortion Scam
      • Public Affairs
      • Social Media Directory
  • Lo que hacemos
    • Orden público
      • DEA Office of Training
        • Office of Training Programs
      • El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC)
        • Leadership
        • Mission
        • Services
        • Contacts
      • Forensic Sciences
        • Computer Forensics Program
        • Environmental Management
        • Laboratories
      • Intelligence
      • Operations
        • Administrative Law Judges
        • DEA Asset Forfeiture
        • Domestic Cannabis Suppression / Eradication Program
        • HIDTA
        • OCDETF
        • State and Local Task Forces
    • Educación y prevención
      • DEA’s Family Summit
      • Operation Engage
      • Community Outreach
      • Red Ribbon
        • Kiki and the History of Red Ribbon Week
        • Red Ribbon Toolkit - Resources For Your Community
      • Just Think Twice
      • Campus Drug Prevention
      • Get Smart About Drugs
      • Operation Prevention
    • Información sobre las drogas
      • Drug Policy
      • Drug Scheduling
      • The Controlled Substances Act
    • News
      • Alerts
      • Press Releases
      • Most Wanted Fugitives
        • All Fugitives
      • Stories
      • Events
      • Speeches
      • Testimony
    • Campaigns
      • One Pill Can Kill
        • Partner Toolbox
        • Social Media Campaign
      • DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
  • Carreras
    • Agentes especiales
      • Preguntas frecuentes de los agentes especiales
      • Anuncios de empleo para agentes especiales
    • Investigador de desvíos
      • Diversion Investigator Job Announcement
    • Especialista en investigación de inteligencia
      • Anuncios de trabajo de especialista en investigación de inteligencia
      • Preguntas frecuentes de los especialistas en investigación de inteligencia
      • Autoridad de contratación de la Categoría A: Especialista en investigación de inteligencia
    • Carreras de ciencias forenses
    • Carreras profesionales y administrativas
    • Carreras para estudiantes y de nivel básico
    • Cómo aplicar
      • Empleador con igualdad de oportunidades
      • Requisitos de empleo
      • Cómo reclamar la preferencia de los veteranos
      • Consideración prioritaria
      • Beneficios
      • Veteranos y personas con discapacidades
  • Recursos
    • Recovery Resources
    • Data and Statistics
      • Domestic Arrests
      • Staffing and Budget
    • Ley de Libertad de Información
      • About FOIA
      • Contact DEA FOIA
      • Make a Request
      • What Happens After Making a Request
      • Requester Categories
      • Fees Charged
      • Fee Waiver
      • FOIA FAQ
      • FOIA Logs and Reports
      • FOIA Library
      • Additional FOIA Links
      • FOIA Exemptions
      • What Are Exclusions?
      • Privacy Act
      • Privacy Act Exemptions
      • Privacy Impact Assessment and Management Information Systems
    • Publications
    • Galerías Multimedia
    • Programa de Asistencia a Testigos para Víctimas
      • Victim Witness Assistance Program Resources

United States Drug Enforcement Administration

  • Buscar
  • Menú Completo

Main Menu

  • Quiénes somos
  • Lo que hacemos
  • Carreras
  • Recursos
  • Recibir Actualizaciones
  • Scam Alert
  • English
  • ES

PUBLIC SAFETY ALERT

DEA Reports Widespread Threat of Fentanyl Mixed with Xylazine - DEA Reports Widespread Threat of Fentanyl Mixed with Xylazine

Drug Enforcement Administration

Frank A. Tarentino III Special Agent in Charge
New York
@DEANewYorkDiv
Febrero 14, 2019
Contact:
Phone Number: (212) 337-3900
For Immediate Release

Two-week trial leads to conviction of drug trafficker for conspiring to import cocaine in shipment of chili peppers

Defendant Referred in Code to 16 Kilograms of Cocaine as “Ripe Tomatoes”

Boxes of chili peppers found in shipment
Cocaine concealed in packets within cardboard layers
Cocaine seized by DEA Strike Force
Organization used chili peppers as cover load

BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- Earlier today, following a two-week trial, a federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict against Humberto Baez for conspiring to import and distribute cocaine, and for possessing with intent to distribute cocaine, in connection with his participation in a scheme responsible for smuggling 16 kilograms of cocaine into the United States through the Dominican Republic in February 2018. When sentenced by United States District Judge Jack B. Weinstein, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.

 

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; New York Division, New York City Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill; New York State Police Acting Superintendent Keith M. Corlett; and Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations New York announced the verdict.

 

“The defendant’s scheme to conceal 16 kilograms of cocaine in a shipment of chili peppers wasn’t such a hot idea, and with today’s verdict, he has been held responsible for his crimes,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “I commend the prosecutors and the Drug Enforcement Administration agents for their excellent work in preventing illegal narcotics from being distributed in our country.”

 

“Drug traffickers go to extraordinary lengths to bring poison into our country,” stated DEA Special Agent in Charge Donovan. “The DEA has seen smuggling groups conceal drugs in bananas, floor tiles, exotic statues and even animals. This conviction sends a message to drug trafficking organizations that law enforcement is on watch. I applaud the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and our law enforcement partners in their diligent efforts to bring Baez and other drug traffickers to justice.”

 

Between August 2016 and March 2018, Baez, a produce importer based in Pennsylvania, conspired with others to import cocaine, hidden inside a shipping container, into the United States. In furtherance of the conspiracy, Baez contacted an individual who, unbeknownst to Baez was cooperating with the DEA, to use the individual’s importing company as a front to transport cocaine from Baez’s source of supply in the Dominican Republic. Baez and his co-conspirators then set up two “dry run” shipments containing only produce into the Red Hook Terminal in Brooklyn, to establish the appearance of a legitimate business relationship between the exporter and importer and not attract scrutiny when subsequently shipping cocaine. In late February 2018, a third shipment arrived in Miami, Florida with approximately 16 kilograms of cocaine concealed in cardboard boxes containing chili peppers. Baez informed the cooperator that the third shipment contained “ripe tomatoes,” using agreed upon code words for cocaine, and instructed him to transport the narcotics by truck to Baez’s warehouse in Pennsylvania. On March 1, 2018, law enforcement officers searched the container and seized the hidden cocaine.

 

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics & Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Nomi D. Berenson and Erin M. Reid are in charge of the prosecution.

 

The arrest was the result of an investigation by the New York Strike Force, a crime-fighting unit comprising federal, state and local law enforcement agencies supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).   

 

The Strike Force is housed at the DEA’s New York Division and includes agents and officers of the DEA, the New York City Police Department, the New York State Police, Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, the U. S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives , U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, New York National Guard, the Clarkstown Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Port Washington Police Department and New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

 

 

The Defendant:

HUMBERTO BAEZ

Age: 50

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-cr-168 (JBW)

Cocaine
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Locator

  • Quienes Somos
    • Sobre
    • Divisiones Nacionales
    • Oficinas Extranjeras
    • Contáctenos
    • Museo DEA
  • Lo Que Hacemos
    • Prevención de Drogas
    • Aplicacion de la Ley
    • División de Control de Desvío
    • Noticias
  • Carreras
    • Resumen
    • Agente Especial
    • Investigador de Desvío
    • Especialista en Investigación de Inteligencia
  • Recursos
    • Información sobre las Drogas
    • Programa de Asistencia al Empleado
    • Empleador con Igualdad de Oportunidades
    • Ley de Libertad de Información (FOIA)
    • Publicaciones
    • Galerías Multimedia
    • Programa de Asistencia a Testigos para Víctimas
  • Hacer Negocios
    con la DEA
    • Resumen
    • Proveedores Actuales
    • Futuros Vendedores
    • Cláusulas de Seguridad
    • Formularios de Seguridad
    • Programa de Pequeñas Empresas
  • Políticas
    • Accesibilidad, Complementos y Política
    • Políticas Legales y Descargos de Responsabilidad
    • Antidiscriminación y Represalias Acto
    • Política de Privacidad
    • Política de Igualdad de Oportunidades en el Empleo del U.S. DOJ
    • USA.gov
    • Protección de Denunciantes
Inicio

United States Drug Enforcement Administration

DEA.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram

DEA Contact Center

(202) 307-1000 info@dea.gov
Contact the Webmaster