Pinoy seaman pleads guilty to bringing nearly 200kg cocaine to California

Pinoy seaman pleads guilty to bringing nearly 200kg cocaine to California
Jauhn Etienne Villaruel July 14, 2026 https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/14/pinoy-seaman-pleads-guilty...

MANILA — A Filipino man pleaded guilty on Monday in Los Angeles to knowingly bringing nearly 200 kilograms of cocaine on an oil tanker from Ecuador to El Segundo, a city in California earlier this year.
Filipino seafarer arrested in US for allegedly smuggling over 200 kilos of cocaine

In a press release, the US DOJ identified the man as Ceasar Tubay Gelacio, Jr., 43, a seaman of oil tanker Aquatravesia.

"While at port in Ecuador, Gelacio agreed with an unknown person using the moniker 'Luis' to possess and conceal more than five kilograms (11 pounds) on the vessel... Gelacio concealed approximately 195 kilograms (430 pounds) of cocaine in the vessel’s garbage space and in his room aboard the vessel," the US DOJ said, citing Gelacio's plea deal.

US authorities recovered the drugs on May 21, 2026, when Aquatravesia arrived in U.S. territory. The ship's other crew members discovered the drugs, who then alerted authorities about it.

Gelacio has been in federal custody since that day.

United States District Judge Stephen Wilson scheduled an October 19 sentencing hearing for Gelacio, who will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.