Two Mexicans, Who Piloted Cocaine Laden Airplane To Bowling Green (To Refuel?), Plead Guilty To Charges And Face Life Imprisonment.
Two plead guilty in case of cocaine found on airplane
By JUSTIN STORY
Two brothers caught in an airplane with more than 70 pounds of cocaine at Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport pleaded guilty Friday to two federal drug charges.
Dagoberto Garcia-Guillen, 21, and his brother, Jesus Garcia-Guillen, 27, both pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to possession and conspiracy to possess 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.
The brothers, who are Mexican nationals, were arrested Oct. 1 at the airport by the Bowling Green Police Department.
Court records show that Dagoberto Garcia-Guillen piloted a Piper Seneca II twin-engine aircraft that landed at the airport in Bowling Green to refuel.
Unbeknownst to the pair, the federal Department of Homeland Security had been tracking the plane since it stopped in Cushing, Okla., to buy fuel. Homeland security officials tracked the plane after the brothers allegedly behaved suspiciously at the airport in Oklahoma.
Three BGPD officers, acting on a request from the DHS to assist in identifying the plane’s occupants, met Dagoberto and Jesus Garcia-Guillen at the airport here.
According to court records and earlier testimony from the officers, Dagoberto identified himself as the pilot, told police he was coming from Phoenix and had no particular destination, simply flying from airport to airport in an effort to attain flight time on his pilot’s license.
Dagoberto consented to a search of the plane, during which police found 30 bricks of cocaine concealed within zippered pockets of two suitcases.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, the cocaine discovered on board the plane had an estimated street value of nearly $1 million.
At Friday’s change of plea hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge E. Robert Goebel, the brothers did not speak other than to softly answer “yes” or “no” to Goebel’s questions.
Jesus Garcia-Guillen, who is being represented by court-appointed federal defender Patrick Bouldin, required a Spanish-language interpreter to understand the proceedings.
Dagoberto Garcia-Guillen is being represented by attorney Robert Kuzas of Chicago.
In addition to the BGPD and DHS, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement worked on the investigation.
The brothers face a maximum sentence of life in prison, supervised release of at least five years and a fine of up to $8 million.
They will go before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph McKinley for sentencing Nov. 30 at federal court in Bowling Green.
By JUSTIN STORY
Two brothers caught in an airplane with more than 70 pounds of cocaine at Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport pleaded guilty Friday to two federal drug charges.
Dagoberto Garcia-Guillen, 21, and his brother, Jesus Garcia-Guillen, 27, both pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to possession and conspiracy to possess 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.
The brothers, who are Mexican nationals, were arrested Oct. 1 at the airport by the Bowling Green Police Department.
Court records show that Dagoberto Garcia-Guillen piloted a Piper Seneca II twin-engine aircraft that landed at the airport in Bowling Green to refuel.
Unbeknownst to the pair, the federal Department of Homeland Security had been tracking the plane since it stopped in Cushing, Okla., to buy fuel. Homeland security officials tracked the plane after the brothers allegedly behaved suspiciously at the airport in Oklahoma.
Three BGPD officers, acting on a request from the DHS to assist in identifying the plane’s occupants, met Dagoberto and Jesus Garcia-Guillen at the airport here.
According to court records and earlier testimony from the officers, Dagoberto identified himself as the pilot, told police he was coming from Phoenix and had no particular destination, simply flying from airport to airport in an effort to attain flight time on his pilot’s license.
Dagoberto consented to a search of the plane, during which police found 30 bricks of cocaine concealed within zippered pockets of two suitcases.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, the cocaine discovered on board the plane had an estimated street value of nearly $1 million.
At Friday’s change of plea hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge E. Robert Goebel, the brothers did not speak other than to softly answer “yes” or “no” to Goebel’s questions.
Jesus Garcia-Guillen, who is being represented by court-appointed federal defender Patrick Bouldin, required a Spanish-language interpreter to understand the proceedings.
Dagoberto Garcia-Guillen is being represented by attorney Robert Kuzas of Chicago.
In addition to the BGPD and DHS, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement worked on the investigation.
The brothers face a maximum sentence of life in prison, supervised release of at least five years and a fine of up to $8 million.
They will go before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph McKinley for sentencing Nov. 30 at federal court in Bowling Green.
Labels: Crime, Punishment
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 9:00 AM
1 Comments:
what did they get sentenced to?
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