An extradited Honduran national was sentenced today to over four years in prison for his role in a scheme to smuggle nearly two dozen illegal aliens and kilos of cocaine into the United States.
“The defendant and his co-conspirators attempted to illegally bring aliens and approximately 24 kilograms of cocaine into the United States by boat,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His extradition from Honduras and this successful prosecution shows that the drug trade and human smuggling of illegal aliens often go hand in hand.”
“Along with his co-conspirators, Olvin Javier Velasquez- Maldonado conspired to flagrantly violate our federal immigration and controlled substances laws by attempting to illegally bring in more than 20 Honduran aliens and approximately 24 kilograms of cocaine to Louisiana,” said U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “These crimes jeopardize and endanger the safety and welfare of our communities, as well as threatening our national security. This sentencing sends a clear message that those who engage in human smuggling and drug trafficking will be identified, prosecuted, and held accountable for their actions. I am grateful for our continued collaboration with our law enforcement partners as we combat the scourge of human smuggling and illegal drug trafficking.”
According to court documents, Olvin Javier Velasquez-Maldonado, 40, of Honduras, conspired with at least six others to bring cocaine from Honduras to the United States. In February 2022, Maldonado and others attempted to illegally bring more than 20 Honduran aliens and approximately 24 kilograms of cocaine from Utila, Honduras, to Cocodrie, Louisiana, aboard the M/V Pop, a sportfishing vessel co-owned by co-conspirator Carl Allison of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Many of the aliens paid up to $20,000 to Allison or his co-conspirators to be smuggled into the United States.
During the February 2022 voyage, the M/V Pop developed engine trouble. Allison and others chartered a boat to bring fuel to the disabled vessel so that it could complete its journey to the United States. Before the chartered boat reached the disabled vessel, the U.S. Coast Guard interdicted the vessel off the coast of Louisiana and towed it to shore. After the vessel was towed to Jean Lafitte Harbor, a search of the vessel discovered approximately 24 kilograms of cocaine in a hidden compartment under a mattress in the captain’s sleeping quarters. Maldonado had packaged the cocaine and his fingerprints were found under the packaging.
Maldonado was extradited to the United States from Honduras on April 9, 2025, and he subsequently pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
The HSI Houma, Louisiana Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the HSI Pittsburgh Field Office, HSI Atlanta Field Office and Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. The HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations, Louisiana State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, North Huntington Township Police and Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office also provided valuable assistance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Honduras to secure the arrest and extradition of Maldonado. The Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training also provided assistance.
The investigation and indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 455 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 400 U.S. convictions; and more than 350 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
Deputy Chief Rami Badawy of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carter Guice for the Eastern District of Louisiana prosecuted the case.