A federal court has sentenced Tanyl Damian Anchundia-Rezebala, an Ecuadorian citizen, to 108 months in prison for smuggling over a metric ton of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean. Anchundia-Rezebala previously pleaded guilty to charges related to the incident.
According to court records, on September 24, 2024, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter from the Cutter MUNRO spotted a suspicious vessel about 160 nautical miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico. The boat was traveling north at high speed in an area known for drug trafficking and displayed no national markings. Suspect packages were visible on its deck.
Attempts by the Coast Guard helicopter to stop the vessel with warning shots failed. The crew then disabled the boat’s engines using gunfire. During this time, video footage captured individuals on board throwing packages into the ocean.
Coast Guard personnel boarded the disabled vessel and recovered 24 bales from the water nearby. These bales contained 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 maritime drug laws. The vessel was later sunk after being deemed unsafe for towing due to its condition and distance from land.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Coast Guard and Homeland Security Investigations under the Department of Homeland Security.
Assistant United States Attorney George F. May prosecuted the case.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).”
