Yellowhammer Times

A federal court has sentenced Tanyl Damian Anchundia-Rezebala, an Ecuadorian national, to 108 months in prison for smuggling over a metric ton of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean. The sentencing was handed down by United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer after Anchundia-Rezebala pleaded guilty to the charges.

According to court documents, on September 24, 2024, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter from the Cutter MUNRO spotted a vessel suspected of drug trafficking about 160 nautical miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico. The vessel was traveling north at high speed in an area known for drug activity and showed no signs of nationality. Suspect packages were visible on deck.

The Coast Guard helicopter fired warning shots that failed to stop the boat before disabling its engines with further gunfire. Video evidence captured smugglers throwing packages into the ocean as their vessel became disabled.

Coast Guard personnel boarded the vessel and recovered 24 bales from the surrounding water, totaling approximately 1,092 kilograms of cocaine.

Anchundia-Rezebala and four others were detained and transferred with the seized drugs to USCG Cutter MUNRO before being brought to the United States for prosecution under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act. Due to safety concerns and lack of suitable tow points, authorities sank the smuggling vessel after law enforcement activities concluded.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama announced the sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Coast Guard and Homeland Security Investigations within the Department of Homeland Security.

Assistant United States Attorney George F. May prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to use Department of Justice resources against illegal immigration, cartels, transnational criminal organizations, and violent crime through coordination with Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).