A former employee of the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was extradited from the Dominican Republic to the United States. Jairo Eliezer Arias Caceres, 35, has been indicted on charges of conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
Embassy officer accused of organizing smuggling scheme
The indictment alleges that Arias Caceres ran an international conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the United States while working as a security officer at the embassy in the Dominican Republic from around April 2023 to December 2023.
Arias Caceres’ alleged scheme involved hiring people to transport the drugs and hide cocaine inside packages that looked like duty-free items bought at the Santo Domingo Airport.
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The packages looked like Marlboro cartons, Choco Pie boxes and Johnny Walker whisky boxes, according to photos provided by the DOJ. These couriers would then bring the disguised cocaine into airports in the New York area. Authorities said they have seized several shipments of cocaine linked to Arias Caceres.
DOJ: Former officer exploited trusted positions
“Arias Caceres exploited his former positions of authority at the embassy and the airport in order to operate this narcotics importation scheme,” the DOJ said in a press release.
The department did not specify the amount of cocaine Arias Caceres had smuggled into the country.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said Arias Caceres used his positions as a security officer at the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic and as a former security officer at the airport in Santo Domingo to take advantage and help smuggle cocaine into the country.
“While Arias Caceres was supposed to be protecting our diplomats and embassy staff from danger, he was allegedly busy endangering New Yorkers by pumping illegal drugs into our community. Abuse of a position of national trust to traffic in deadly narcotics shocks the sensibilities of New Yorkers and the women and men of our office are committed to bringing those who abuse that trust to justice,” Clayton said in a statement.
Sentencing and additional charges pending
According to the DOJ, the minimum and maximum prison sentences for the crime(s) in this case are set by Congress and if convicted, a judge will decide Arias Caceres’ sentence that could be as severe as a life sentence.
The DOJ said other people are allegedly involved in Arias Caceres’ scheme and will also be arrested and charged in the Southern District of New York.
