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

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)