Leandro De Los Santos, 33, of the Dominican Republic, was sentenced to 70 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 630 kilograms of cocaine while on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced Thursday.Â
According to court documents, on Sept. 11, 2022, while on routine patrol south of the Dominican Republic, United States Coast Guard Cutter U.S.S. Billings intercepted a go-fast vessel navigating on a northerly course approximately 80 nautical miles south of Bani, Dominican Republic. The vessel had no flag flown, no registration numbers and no name painted on its hull. The Dominican Republic Navy later confirmed that the vessel was not registered with their country, and it was therefore treated as a vessel without nationality, thereby subjecting it to the jurisdiction of the United States. Onboard the vessel, the U.S.S. Billings boarding team detained De Los Santos and Victor Reyes-Martinez and recovered 630 kilograms of cocaine. Reyes-Martinez pleaded guilty on March 30 and was sentenced to 57 months incarceration.
