NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Three men have been sentenced for smuggling cocaine, the Department of Justice said.
Yunier Renteria, 28, Luis Valencia-Renteria, 27, and Cesar Rodriguez, 30, smuggled 1,500 kilograms of cocaine from the Colombian coast to the United States.
On March 17, 2023, a maritime patrol aircraft spotted the go-fast boat used to transport the cocaine. When the crew realized they had been spotted they started to throw the cocaine off their boat. The U.S. Coast Guard recovered 1,504 kilograms of cocaine.
Valencia pleaded guilty on Aug. 3, 2023, and Rodriguez pleaded guilty on Aug. 14, 2023. On Jan. 3 of this year, Renteria pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine on board a vessel.
On Jan. 9, 2024, Valencia and Rodriguez were sentenced to two years and six months in prison. Renteria received the same prison sentence on Wednesday.
