$17 Million Drug Case: Three Mexican Crew Members Extradited From Costa Rica to Face Trial in Wisconsin
Federal prosecutors announced on Oct. 20 that a maritime drug trafficking case worth about $17 million will be tried in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Costa Rican authorities intercepted a U.S.-flagged vessel off Quepos, on the country's Pacific coast, and found 840 kilograms (about 1,850 pounds) of concealed cocaine. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel said that at a street value of $20,000 per kilogram, the load was worth about $16.8 million.
Three Mexican crew members — Miguel Angel Campos-Barragan, Giovanni Vidrio-Lopez and Eustaquio Espinoza-Hernandez — were extradited from Costa Rica to Milwaukee and arraigned on Monday, Oct. 19, before U.S. District Judge Nancy Joseph; they are being held pending trial. The indictment charges conspiracy to distribute cocaine from January 2024 to April 15, 2025, and a possession count dated April 15, 2025. The case is led by the Drug Enforcement Administration's Milwaukee office, with assistance from the FBI's Milwaukee office and the government of Costa Rica.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons 授权图（Milwaukee 天际线；CC BY-SA 4.0）
