Santo Domingo -The former consul Dominican in Jamaica, Jeremias Jimenez Cruzsentenced to 15 years in prison for drug trafficking in New York, had posed as the brother of a Dominican president to traffic drugs to the United States.
The revelation was made by the attorney for the southern district of New York, Damián Williams.
“He has also presented himself as the half-brother of a former president of the Dominican Republic for two terms,” indicates a press release issued by the prosecutor.
Prosecutors also revealed that Jiménez Cruz used his position, connections and planes to smuggle large amounts of cocaine into the United States. Also, to launder the proceeds of that drug.
They also specified that the evidence presented included a recording where the former diplomat was recorded admitting the facts.
“With his connections to the government, he had the ability to move up to 600 kilograms of cocaine by plane and up to a ton of cocaine by ship,” prosecutors said.
The former Dominican government diplomat was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison for conspiring to import cocaine into the United States. In addition, to use his position and his contacts in the Dominican government to import cocaine into the United States, the prosecutors indicate in the press document.
The sentence was handed down by the federal judge for the southern district of New York, Kimba M. Wood. The decision also includes a sentence of five years of supervised release.
Additionally, former consul Jiménez Cruz previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to import more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States.
Which government was Jiménez Cruz an official of?
Jimenez Cruz, 52, was a foreign service official during the governments of the PLD leaders Leonel Fernández and Danilo Medina.
His diplomatic career began in the government of Leonel Fernández, from 2004-2008. He was appointed vice-consul of the Dominican Republic in Frankfurt, Germany, by decree 1537-04.
Also, in the same management, Jiménez Cruz was sent to Jamaica, through decree 741-08. Now as Consul General.
In the government of Danilo Medina, Jiménez Cruz was ratified consul general of Jamaica. He was dismissed in 2017 by decree 284-17.
Jiménez Cruz was arrested in September 2019 in federal court in Manhattan, accused of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States.
