United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MIAMI - The first Honduran national extradited to the United States for drug trafficking was sentenced yesterday to serve 20 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for his involvement in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine in the United States.
 
A.D. Wright, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement (DEA), Miami Field Division, 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 (ICE-HSI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement. 
 
U.S. District Court Judge Darrin P. Gayles’ sentencing of Carlos Arnoldo Lobo, a/k/a “Negro,” 39, of, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, was the culmination of a five-year multi-agency investigation into the drug smuggling activities operating near La Ceiba, Honduras. To date, the investigation has resulted in the indictment and conviction of 18 drug traffickers who worked for Lobo.  Lobo’s network coordinated the smuggling of cocaine by vessels from Colombia and Ecuador, to Panama and Honduras, then into Guatemala and other countries, including Mexico and the United States.  As the owner and operator of several dozen vessels, he controlled drug shipments into and out of the eastern coast of Honduras. 
 
Lobo pleaded guilty on September 5, 2014, to conspiring to distribute cocaine knowing that the cocaine would be imported into the United States.  The conspiracy involved more than 450 kilograms of cocaine during the three years charged in the indictment. 
 
DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Wright stated, “The sentencing of Carlos Lobo, one of the biggest cocaine transporters in the international drug trade, is a reminder that justice will be served.  The DEA will continue to pursue the highest level of drug traffickers and work with our international and domestic partners to dismantle these criminal enterprises that threaten to bring these dangerous drugs into our borders.” 

U.S. Attorney Ferrer stated, “As a result of the extraordinary efforts of U.S. law enforcement working together with our Honduran law enforcement partners, one of the most significant drug traffickers in Central America has been brought to justice.  This case serves as an example that there are no borders when it comes to prosecuting international narco-trafficking; we will continue to work with our international law enforcement partners to bring drug traffickers who distribute illegal substances in the United States to justice.”
 
“Lobo’s arrest and sentence has led to the dismantling of a large scale drug trafficking organization responsible for smuggling hundreds tons of cocaine into our country”, said HIS Special Agent in Charge Erichs. “The arrest and sentence should send a strong message to those responsible for the importation of illegal drugs into the United States that we will not rest until they are brought to justice.”
 
The sentencing of Carlos Arnoldo Lobo is the result of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation conducted by the DEA and ICE-HSI. Special thanks to the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice, the DEA Attaché’s Office in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and the ICE-HSI Attaché’s Office in Tegucigalpa, Honduras for their significant assistance and support during the arrest and extradition of the defendant.
 
Mr. Wright commended the prosecution efforts of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, as well as efforts of President of the Honduran Republic Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado and other Honduran officials for their cooperation and support during the extradition and prosecution of Carlos Arnoldo Lobo.