US embassy worker extradited for smuggling drugs to NY airport

A former security officer at the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic has been extradited to the United States to face federal charges for allegedly orchestrating a cocaine smuggling operation into the U.S.

Jairo Eliezer Arias Caceres, 35, of Santo Domingo, made his initial appearance Wednesday in Manhattan after being extradited to face one count of conspiracy to import cocaine into the U.S, according to the Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

Arias Caceres allegedly used his position at the U.S. Embassy, where he worked from 2018 until earlier this year, to facilitate a transnational drug trafficking scheme. Before that, he had served for at least seven years as a security officer at the Santo Domingo airport.

Prosecutors allege that between April and December 2023, Arias Caceres coordinated couriers to smuggle cocaine into airports in the New York area. The drugs were concealed in packaging from airport duty-free stores to avoid detection.

Caceres allegedly oversaw the recruitment of couriers, arranged their travel, and acted as their primary contact throughout the smuggling process.

“While Arias Caceres was supposed to be protecting our diplomats and embassy staff from danger, he was allegedly busy endangering New Yorkers by pumping illegal drugs into our community,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement.

The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison.

The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in New York and Santo Domingo, along with the DEA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Marshals Service.