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Colombian Trio Extradited To Tampa On Drug Charges

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TBO.com

Published: December 11, 2008

TAMPA - Three more men have been arrested and extradited to the United States in an ongoing Tampa-based investigation that targets Colombian drug smugglers.

Carlos Perlaza-Mosquera, 59, of Colombia, and Peruvian nationals Gustavo Temoche-Pingo, 46, and William Abad-Saavedra, 35, made their initial court appearances in Tampa this morning.

The trio face federal drug charges that carry a minimum prison sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, prosecutors say.

From 2005 through 2007, the three men were involved in organizing boats to smuggle tons of cocaine in the eastern Pacific Ocean, according to court documents. The organization built and launched go-fast boats carrying the cocaine destined for the United States, prosecutors say.

The three men also were linked to a fleet of boats out of Peru that provided fuel and provisions to the go-fast boats, prosecutors say.

Co-defendants Carlos Asprilla-Jean and Nelson Rubiel Canar Valencia are in the custody of Colombia law enforcement, and their extradition to the United States is pending, prosecutors say.

The investigation, dubbed Operation Panama Express, was assisted by the FBI, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and five other local and federal agencies.

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