Fl Men Charged With Smuggling Cocaine In Boxes Of Oranges

From the Florida Phoenix:

By Laura Cassels

A storage container full of oranges that recently arrived at the Port of Savannah held a lot more than natural sources of Vitamin C.

Federal agents say they found $1.75 million worth of cocaine tucked into the walls of the cardboard boxes containing the fruit.

Three Florida men are charged with smuggling approximately 50 kilograms of cocaine into the U.S. in a shipment of citrus from the Dominican Republic.

Juan De Jesus Gutierrez, 45, Jonathan Mejia, 41, and Ricardo Sanchez Ortiz, 46, all of Kissimmee, were charged with conspiracy to import cocaine, attempt to possess cocaine with Intent to distribute; and conspiracy to distribute, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, in a press announcement.

Spokesman Barry Paschal said Monday he did not know the quantity of boxes or oranges involved but said they filled a shipping storage container typical of those shipped to the busy international port. He said the investigation is continuing.

The smuggling suspects were apprehended May 29 when they opened the storage container and began unloading the boxes, the announcement said.

The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection, local police and port police.

This story was originally published by the Florida Phoenix. For more stories from the Florida Phoenix, visit FloridaPhoenix.com.