September 2001

OPERATION SANCTUARY

On September 5, 2001, the DEA and the Dominican Republic’s National Drug Control Directorate (NDCD) brought to fruition a year long investigation with arrest of eight people in San Juan, Dominican Republic and Orlando, Florida. These eight individuals were part of an international organization engaged in the illicit trafficking of multi-ton quantities of cocaine and the laundering of millions of U.S. dollars in drug proceeds. The organization’s activities extended to Venezuela, Dominican Republic, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, New York, and Miami.

The U.S. Coast Guard seized 597 kilograms of cocaine.

The Operation, initiated by the NDCD, received support from the Special Operations Division, a joint law enforcement program comprised of attorneys from the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and agents and analysts from the DEA, FBI, U.S. Customs Service (USCS), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Among the other agencies supporting the operation were: New York Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard, and the Venezuelan National Guard.

DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson summed up the operation by saying, “Operation Sanctuary not only dismantled criminal drug trafficking organizations with tentacles in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Lebanon, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S.; it provided a textbook example of how well today’s law enforcement agencies unite internationally to fight drug and money laundering crimes across political and geographic boundaries.

Among the targets of the investigation were, Wilfredo Andujar-Guzman, the leader of the organization, Francisco Antonio Iguaran-Mengual, a major supplier of cocaine out of Venezuela, and Manuel Buenaventura, the second in command. Also, the major money launderer for the organization, Jose Luis Andrades-Maldonado, was targeted by the operation.

Significant events during Operation Sanctuary included the seizure of thousands of kilograms of cocaine by the U.S. Coast Guard and the arrest of ten members of a Colombian-Lebanese money laundering organization operating in Colobmia, New York, Miami, West Palm Beach, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The operation netted 43 arrests, the seizure of 2,899 kilograms of cocaine and $2,511,285 U.S. Currency.

Over 1400 kilograms of cocaine seized by the U.S. Coast Guard.
"Drug traffickers should know that the Caribbean is no longer a sanctuary
for their illegal activities," said DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson.