Man Caught Hiding 500 Pounds Cocaine in LA

Ceasar Tubay Gelacio Jr., a 43-year-old resident of the Philippines, was arrested after U.S. authorities said he smuggled roughly 500 pounds of cocaine aboard an oil tanker traveling from Ecuador to El Segundo. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said on May 22 that Gelacio was charged by federal criminal complaint with importation of a controlled substance. Prosecutors said the cocaine was meant to be transferred to a Mexican drug cartel while the ship was passing Mexican waters. Gelacio is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. ### How did federal authorities say the cocaine got onto the ship? The Justice Department said the Greek-owned, Liberian-flagged oil tanker Aquatravesia had last called in Ecuador before heading toward the United States. According to an affidavit cited by prosecutors, law enforcement learned earlier in May that the vessel was carrying kilogram quantities of drugs intended for delivery to a Mexican cartel. Crew members later found multiple packages containing suspected narcotics hidden in the ship’s garbage room, prosecutors said. The ship’s captain interviewed crew members and concluded Gelacio possessed the drugs, then moved the packages to another room and secured them, according to the complaint. ### Where was the handoff supposed to happen? Prosecutors said the planned transfer point was in Mexican waters, not at the Port of Los Angeles. The captain told investigators that small naval craft carrying armed cartel members were expected about 80 nautical miles from shore on the night of May 14 and the early hours of May 15, according to the affidavit. The same affidavit said additional boats would be sent if the first transfer did not happen on schedule. The captain also reported receiving what he believed were radio calls from the cartel trying to contact the tanker before any attempted boarding or takeover, prosecutors said. ### Why did the ship end up in Los Angeles-Long Beach waters? U.S. law enforcement directed the Aquatravesia to continue to the combined Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach area so agents could board it, the Justice Department said. The vessel anchored there on May 21. Federal authorities said they boarded the tanker after it reached the assigned anchorage and recovered about 227 kilograms of cocaine. That amount is roughly 500 pounds, according to the Justice Department’s conversion in its release. ### What do prosecutors say Gelacio did? The criminal complaint alleges Gelacio received the cocaine in Ecuador and intended to distribute it to another party while the tanker was traveling past Mexico. Prosecutors said investigators learned he had the cocaine aboard the ship before authorities boarded it in Southern California. The charge announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office was importation of a controlled substance. A criminal complaint is an accusation used to begin a federal case and does not by itself establish guilt. ### What is known about the court case so far? The Justice Department said Gelacio was arrested on Thursday, May 21. Prosecutors said he was scheduled to make his initial appearance on Friday afternoon, May 22, in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles. Court proceedings after an initial appearance can include detention arguments, the filing of formal charges by indictment or information, and later hearings on evidence and trial scheduling. The next public updates in the case are likely to come through the federal court docket in Los Angeles or additional statements from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.