TAMPA, Fla. – A Honduran national who orchestrated a sophisticated international drug trafficking network was sentenced to 17 years and six months in federal prison by a Tampa judge this week. Rosbin Leonardo Duarte-Elvir, 43, must also forfeit $5 million in illegal profits following his conviction for conspiring to import cocaine into the United States.
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge William F. Jung, following Duarte-Elvir’s guilty plea in December 2025.
Court documents reveal a sprawling conspiracy that relied on deep-seated corruption within South American infrastructure. Operating through 2024, Duarte-Elvir’s organization moved thousands of kilograms of cocaine by bribing airport security supervisors and at least 20 Colombian police officers. The group used commercial aircraft to fly drugs out of Cali, Colombia, often hiding the narcotics inside boxes of fruit.
The typical route involved flying the shipments to San Andrés Island, where they were transferred to boats bound for Nicaragua or Honduras. From there, the cocaine was moved via land through Mexico and across the U.S. border.
The organization’s operations hit a wall in May 2024. After a previous seizure in 2023 had briefly stalled their efforts, Duarte-Elvir attempted to restart the “air route” by moving 540 kilograms of cocaine into the Cali airport. Colombian law enforcement intercepted the load before it could reach the United States.
Investigators noted that the illicit trade funded a lavish lifestyle for Duarte-Elvir, including a massive estate located outside of Cali.
His reach was eventually curtailed through a massive multi-agency effort involving the DEA, FBI, and Homeland Security, along with significant cooperation from the Colombian National Police. Following his arrest, Duarte-Elvir was extradited from Colombia to the United States in March 2025 to face charges.
The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Pardo as part of “Operation Take Back America” and the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF). This regional task force, based in Tampa, focuses on dismantling transnational criminal organizations and cartels that fuel violence and instability within U.S. borders.
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