Press Release
CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION OFFICER SENTENCED IN DRUG DISTRIBUTION SCHEME
April 11, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Steven Mocsary, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Professional Responsibility, and Donald Balberchak, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General, announced today that Senior United States District Court Judge William Zloch sentenced Edwin Disla, age 34 of Miami, Florida, to a term of imprisonment of 365 months, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. This action follows defendant Disla’s conviction by a federal jury sitting in Fort Lauderdale on February 8, 2008, of charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846 (Count 1). In addition, defendant Disla was convicted of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and 2 (Count 2) and attempted possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 2 (Count 3).
According to evidence adduced at trial, defendant Edwin Disla was employed as a Customs and Border Protection Officer assigned to the Miami International Airport. From January 2007 through March 28, 2007, in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, Disla agreed to transport multi-kilogram amounts of heroin and cocaine from Puerto Rico to either New York or Miami. On February 9, 2007, Disla delivered ten kilograms of purported cocaine to individuals in Hallandale, Florida. While transporting the sham cocaine through the Luis Munoz Marin Airport in Puerto Rico and Miami International Airport, Disla used his law enforcement authority to bypass security. On March 28, 2007, Disla was arrested in Puerto Rico having received duffel bags containing 25 kilograms of sham cocaine and 20 kilograms of sham heroin from undercover agents with the Puerto Rico Police Department assigned to the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Task Force.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Professional Responsibility, and Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General. The Puerto Rico Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also participated in the investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Clark.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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