Garcia Extradicted to the U.S. to Face Drug Smuggling Charges

Jose Luis Tejeiro Garcia has been sent to the U.S. to face charges of cocaine smuggling.^[1] Garcia is an alleged Colombian drug trafficker who has just been extradited to the US for seizure of cocaine from a ship off the island of Aruba.^[2]

Garcia is suspected of coordinating the smuggling of more than 2 tons of cocaine seized by U.S. and Dutch authorities last year aboard the M/V Sea Atlantic.^[3] Garcia, who was arrested in Cartagena last year, was taken to Puerto Rico on Friday and jailed pending his arraignment on drug smuggling charges.^[4]

The M/V Sea Atlantic was stopped near the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba while en route to the United States.^[5] The ship's captain who was also involved, was sentenced to 24 years in prison, while his first mate, received a 19 year sentence.^[6] Both men were Venezuelan. Seven other crew members were sentenced to 10 years in prison.^[7]

Drug importation is covered under 21 U.S.C. § 952 wherein is states that it is a crime for a person to import into the United States any controlled substance in schedule I or II, or any narcotic drug in schedules III, IV, or V;^[8]or for a person to import into the United States any non-narcotic controlled substance found in schedules III, IV, or V.^[9]

The delineation of the drug schedules can be found on our Drug Crimes page. Federal criminal defense attorney Douglas McNabb has also previously discussed the transnational crime of drug trafficking in his blog, here.

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^[1] AP Staff, Colombia extradites accused trafficker to U.S, Associated Press Newswire, October 22, 2007, available at LEXIS, News Library, Wire News Services File.
^[2] Id.
^[3] Id.
^[4] Id.
^[5] Id.
^[6] Id.
^[7] Id.
^[8] 21 U.S.C. §952 (a)(2007).
^[9] Id., at §952(b).