$17M drug bust: Boat crew extradited to Wisconsin to face charges
$17M drug bust, men extradited to Wisconsin
Nearly $17 million worth of cocaine was seized in a federal drug case that's being prosecuted in Wisconsin's Eastern District, officials said Tuesday.
MILWAUKEE - Nearly $17 million worth of cocaine was seized in a federal drug case that's being prosecuted in Wisconsin's Eastern District, officials announced Tuesday.
Cocaine found on boat
By the numbers:
Federal prosecutors said Costa Rican authorities stopped a U.S.-flagged vessel near Quepos, on Costa Rica's Pacific coast. Those authorities found and seized 840 kilograms – roughly 1,850 pounds – of cocaine concealed on the boat and arrested the crew.
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First Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel said the cocaine has a street value of $20,000 per kilogram – roughly $16.8 million total for the drugs seized.
Cocaine recovered after U.S.-flagged vessel stopped off Costa Rica (Courtesy: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin)
Arraigned in Milwaukee
Local perspective:
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin said three Mexican nationals – Miguel Ángel Campos-Barragán, Giovanni Vidrio-López, and Eustaquio Espinosa-Hernández – were extradited from Costa Rica to Milwaukee and were arraigned before U.S. District Judge Nancy Joseph on Monday. They are being held in pre-trial detention.
The DEA Milwaukee Field Office was among the agencies that investigated the case, with support from the FBI's Milwaukee Field Office. The U.S. Department of Justice and Costa Rican government were heavily involved.
The backstory:
A two-count indictment accuses the men of conspiring to distribute cocaine while serving as the crew on the U.S.-flagged vessel. One count is for possession over a period of time from January 2024 until April 15, 2025. The other count is for possession on April 15, 2025.
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What they're saying:
Schimel said it's "very rare" to see such a quantity of illegal drugs in a case, and it's "unusual because neither the drugs nor the individuals indicted ever entered the Eastern District of Wisconsin until just the other day."
In a statement, Schimel said it's one of the largest drug seizures ever charged in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
Big picture view:
According to federal prosecutors, the case is part of a Homeland Security Task Force initiative called "Protecting the American People Against Invasion." The initiative is dedicated to eliminating transnational criminal organizations and trafficking rings.
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The Source: Information in this story is from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.