7 May, 2004 – LAWFUEL – Marcos Daniel Jiménez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Jesus Torres, Special Agent in Charge, Immigration & Customs Enforcement; Thomas W. Raffanello, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration; Amos Rojas, Jr., Regional Director, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, John Timoney, Chief of Police, City of Miami Police Department, and Robert Parker, Director, Miami-Dade Police Department, announced today that on April 30, 2004, a federal grand jury
sitting in Miami, Florida, returned a Superseding Indictment charging Reniel
Pinales, a/k/a “Daniel,” a/k/a “Danny,” Jeremias Richardson Araujo, a/k/a
“Richard,” Welington Paez, a/k/a “Ruben Santiago,” Juan Matos Sanchez, and Maria
Paez Aponte, a/k/a “Maria Araujo,” with one count of conspiracy to distribute
3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine hydrochloride (commonly referred to as “MDMA” or
“Ecstasy”), in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and
846; and Reniel Pinales, a/k/a “Daniel,” a/k/a “Danny,” Jeremias Richardson Araujo,
a/k/a “Richard,” Juan Matos- Sanchez, and Maria Paez Aponte, a/k/a “Maria Araujo,”
with one count of possessing with the intent to distribute
3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine hydrochloride, in violation of Title 21, United
States Code, Section 841(a)(1).
The Superseding Indictment also charges Reniel
Pinales, a/k/a “Daniel,” a/k/a “Danny,” Jeremias Richardson Araujo, a/k/a
“Richard,” Welington Paez, a/k/a “Ruben Santiago,” Juan Matos-Sanchez, Maria Paez
Aponte, a/k/a “Maria Araujo,” John Lantigua, Janet Martinez, a/k/a “Alexandra
Martinez,” Freddy Marte, Freddy DeJesus, Mirian Gonzalez, a/k/a “Rosa Gonzalez,”
a/k/a “Arelis Gonzalez,” Cristina Gonzalez, Junis Marte, Kenia Lantigua, a/k/a
“Kenia Pinales,” Lindy Gonzalez, Ana Marie Gonzalez, Marvin Norori, Lidia
Rodriguez, a/k/a “Lidia Simon,” Jose Calvente Pagan, Francisco Leonardo, Oscar
Henriquez, Ana Henriquez, Mirtha Bastardo, Filiberto Gonzalez, Ana Gloria
Kuchenbaur, Niurka Guillermina Marte, a/k/a “Niurka Roa-Perez,” Pilar Altagracia
Perez-Haas, Rosa Iris Paula, Damaso Bastardo, Ingrid Mercedes Santana, Alexandra
Abreu, Leiny Mojica, Wolf Dieter Kuchenbaur, Marlon DeJesus Hurtado, Martha
Berenice Bastardo, Deny Pena-Gonzalez, and Esaul Urena with one count of conspiracy
to commit money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section
1956(h). In total, thirty-six (36) defendants are charged in the Superseding
Indictment.
The Superseding Indictment was unsealed today with the arrests of a number of the
defendants. Thirty-one defendants were arrested today. Five defendants were
previously arrested. Those defendants charged with conspiracy to posses with
intent to distribute ecstacy face a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty (20)
years and a maximum fine of $2,000,000. Those defendants charged with possession
with intent to distribute ecstacy also face a maximum term of imprisonment of
twenty (20) years and a maximum fine of $2,000,000. The defendants charged with
conspiracy to commit money laundering face a maximum term of twenty (20) years’
imprisonment and a maximum fine of at least $500,000.
The Superseding Indictment is based on more than three years of investigation
conducted by law enforcement components of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement
Task Force (OCDETF) as part of “Operation Nexus.” The task force includes the
Immigration & Customs Enforcement, the United States Drug Enforcement
Administration, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. This case also
involves the international cooperation of Netherlands law enforcement, as well as
federal law enforcement agencies located in California, Massachusetts, Michigan,
New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Based on information presented during several pre-trial detention hearings, the
defendants were members of an international drug trafficking conspiracy that
recruited foreign nationals to smuggle MDMA into Miami from Europe. The
organization then employed defendants – those charged with conspiracy to commit
money laundering – to remit the proceeds of the narcotics sales to the Netherlands
and the Dominican Republic.
United States and Netherlands law enforcement
officials have directly linked approximately at least 200,000 ecstasy pills to the
international smuggling organization. These figures are based upon several
seizures occurring at Miami International Airport and other domestic airports, as
well as information provided by cooperating defendant witnesses over the course of
the investigation. In addition, law enforcement officers have directly linked
approximately $2.5 million in ecstasy trafficking proceeds remitted to the
Netherlands and the Dominican Republic by members of the money laundering arm of
the organization.
Mr. Jiménez commended the investigative efforts of Immigration & Customs
Enforcement, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the Florida
Department of Law Enforcement, the City of Miami Police Department, and the
Miami-Dade Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United
States Attorney William Bryan.
