1,295 Kilograms of Cocaine Seized by the United States Coast Guard

According to court records, on September 5, 2024, during a routine patrol in international waters in the Eastern Pacific, a Royal Canadian Naval ship with a United States Coast Guard detachment onboard intercepted a go-fast vessel after it was sighted approximately 427 nautical miles southwest of Acapulco, Mexico. The vessel, which was dead in the water floating adrift with bales visible on the deck, displayed no indicia of nationality and had no flag flown. The Coast Guard detachment conducted a right of visit boarding on the vessel as it was suspected of illicit maritime activity. The vessel had a large hole in its bow and Julio Contreras Bueno, Christian Garay Ochoa, and Francisco Hernandez Penaloza were found onboard. A claim of Mexican nationality was made by the crew, but the Mexican government could neither confirm nor deny nationality of the vessel. The vessel was therefore determined to be one without nationality, thus subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. A search of the vessel revealed 35 bales consistent with contraband. Two presumptive tests were conducted on packages inside the bales, which proved positive for cocaine. The contraband was removed, and the vessel was sunk due to the damage to the hull. The initial appearance of Hernandez Penaloza will be scheduled before Magistrate Teague pending his removal from the Southern District of California. If convicted, they face a minimum of ten years and a maximum of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.