Three Dominican Nationals Plead Guilty to 1,694-Kilogram Cocaine Conspiracy

Three Dominican nationals pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to conspiracy charges for importing 1,694 kilograms of cocaine. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced the pleas on May 6, 2026, after a Homeland Security Task Force investigation.

The 1,694 kilograms equals roughly 3,735 pounds of cocaine. This quantity exceeds the thresholds that trigger mandatory minimum prison terms in federal importation prosecutions. The three defendants, all Dominican Republic citizens, each admitted participation in the single conspiracy that brought the cocaine into South Florida.

Before the pleas the defendants stood charged and scheduled for trial. The guilty pleas remove any need for the government to present evidence or witnesses at a contested proceeding. The court will now set sentencing dates, at which time probation officers must submit presentence reports and the U.S. Attorney's Office must file position papers on the applicable sentencing guidelines.

The resolutions free task force agents and prosecutors to assign personnel to other active investigations. The Federal Bureau of Prisons will receive custody designations once sentences are imposed. The Southern District of Florida avoids the calendar time and jury costs that would have been required for three separate trials.

The Homeland Security Task Force combines personnel from Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Coast Guard to interdict Caribbean trafficking routes. The Southern District of Florida records one of the highest volumes of maritime cocaine cases in the federal system, with multiple prior shipments of comparable size resolved by plea in recent years.