Hialeah Man Convicted of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Five Kilograms or More of Cocaine

A Miami jury convicted a Hialeah resident of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine after a five-day trial.

Benjamin G. Greenberg, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Robert F. Lasky, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Juan J. Perez, Director, Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), made the announcement.

Maikel Vigil Gallardo, 35, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846.  He faces a statutory maximum of life imprisonment, and sentencing is scheduled before U.S. District Judge Marcia G. Cooke, on April 25, 2018, at 10:30 a.m.

The evidence presented at trial established that in April 2017, Gallardo met on multiple occasions with an FBI confidential human source (“CHS”) to develop a multi-kilogram cocaine pipeline from Miami to Chicago, Illinois.  During the trial, the United States introduced recordings from these meetings, in which Gallardo talked about his experiences trafficking cocaine and marijuana around the United States, using trucking routes and paid off customs checkpoints to evade law enforcement.  On April 26, Gallardo delivered a one-kilogram sample of cocaine to the CHS in the Orlando area, which triggered his arrest.

Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and MDPD.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan K. Osborne and Breezye Telfair.

This investigation and prosecution was carried out by members of the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.  The South Florida HIDTA, established in 1990, is made up of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies who, cooperatively, target the region’s drug-trafficking and money laundering organizations.  The South Florida HIDTA is funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy which sponsors a variety of initiatives focused the nation’s illicit drug trafficking threats.