Honduran national sentenced for human, drug trafficking conspiracy

According to court documents released by the Justice Department, Josue Alexander Flores Villeda, 38, of Honduras, conspired with at least six others to transport Honduran nationals and large quantities of cocaine by sea from Honduras to the United States. Prosecutors said the conspiracy operated for approximately three years and involved repeated maritime smuggling voyages, each carrying at least 15 illegal immigrants on each trip.

The investigation focused in part on a February 2022 smuggling attempt in which Villeda and his co-conspirators sought to transport more than 20 Honduran nationals and approximately 24 kilograms of cocaine from Utila, Honduras, to Cocodrie, Louisiana. The group used the M/V Pop, a sportfishing vessel co-owned by co-conspirator Carl Allison. Court records show that many of the migrants paid as much as $20,000 to Villeda or his associates for illegal passage into the United States.

During the February 2022 voyage, the M/V Pop developed engine trouble while en route to Louisiana. In response, Villeda and others arranged for a separate vessel to deliver fuel to the disabled boat so it could continue its journey. Before the fuel reached the M/V Pop, however, the US Coast Guard interdicted the vessel off the coast of Louisiana and towed it to shore, effectively ending the smuggling attempt.

Villeda later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully bring aliens into the United States for financial gain, as well as conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine hydrochloride. The court sentenced him to 47 months in prison. Several additional defendants connected to the scheme have already been sentenced. Lead defendant Carl Allison of Pittsburgh and Darrel Martinez of Honduras pleaded guilty to the same charges as Villeda. Lenord Cooper, also of Honduras, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to aid and assist aliens to enter the United States unlawfully and to attempting to bring aliens into the country for commercial advantage and private financial gain.

Two other co-conspirators, Hennessy Devon Cooper Zelaya and Rudy Jackson Hernandez, both Honduran nationals, were convicted after trial of conspiracy to unlawfully bring aliens into the United States and attempting to do so for commercial advantage and private financial gain. A sixth defendant, Olvin Javier Velasquez Maldonado of Honduras, was extradited from Honduras in April 2025 and is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. His trial is scheduled for February 2026.

The case was supported and prosecuted through Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), a Justice Department-led initiative and partnership with the Department of Homeland Security that targets large-scale human smuggling and trafficking operations linked to cartels and transnational criminal organizations. JTFA focuses on identifying and dismantling leadership structures behind smuggling networks operating throughout the Americas, including maritime routes.

Officials said the prosecution is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Justice Department initiative that coordinates federal resources to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime through efforts such as the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.