Honduran Nationals Charged with Drug Trafficking Arrived in South Florida after being Extradited

Two Honduran nationals were extradited from Honduras to the United States as a result of their alleged participation in a large-scale drug trafficking organization that operates in the western portion of Honduras. These individuals allegedly knew that the large amounts of cocaine they were trafficking would end up in the United States. They arrived in South Florida this afternoon.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and A.D. Wright, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, made the announcement.

On December 3, 2013, the Southern District of Florida charged Miguel Arnulfo Valle-Valle, 43, Luis Alonso Valle-Valle, 45, Gerson Stanley Ortega-Valle, 35, and Digna Asusena Valle-Valle, 48, with conspiring to traffic large amounts of cocaine from Colombia, through Honduras, with the eventual destination being the United States. On July 20, 2014, Digna Asusena Valle-Valle was arrested at Miami International Airport, and is scheduled to commence trial in the Southern District of Florida before U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas, on February 17, 2015. Miguel Arnulfo Valle-Valle and Luis Alonso Valle-Valle were arrested in Honduras on October 5, 2014.

These defendants have been identified as members of a group known as Los Valles, who use the department of Copan as the base of their operations, but have a strong influence in the area containing San Pedro Sula, located in the department of Cortes. Los Valles consists of several individuals; however, the primary leaders of the organization are the two brothers, Miguel Arnulfo Valle-Valle and Luis Alonso Valle-Valle. On August 20, 2014, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified the Los Valles drug trafficking organization as one of the most prolific Central American narcotics trafficking organizations. OFAC described the group, led by Miguel Arnulfo Valle-Valle, as being responsible for the distribution of tens of thousands of kilograms of cocaine per month directly into the United States. The Los Valles organization employs a combination of brutal violence and public corruption in order to keep a stronghold on their base of operations in Copan.

The charges against the Valle-Valle brothers and the other two Honduran nationals are the result of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation led by the DEA Miami Field Division. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the DEA and the significant assistance provided by the Office of International Affairs, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, in the apprehension and extradition of the Valle-Valle brothers. Mr. Ferrer also commended the efforts of President of the Honduran Republic Juan Orlando Hernàndez Alvarado and other Honduran officials for their cooperation and support during the extradition of the Valle-Valle brothers. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael B. Nadler.

An indictment is only an accusation and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.