A Philippine national pleaded guilty on Monday to knowingly bringing nearly 200 kilograms of cocaine on an oil tanker inbound from Ecuador to El Segundo earlier this year.
The U.S. attorney’s office for the Central District of California said the 43-year-old man from Philippines pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly bringing cocaine on a vessel arriving in the United States. He has been in federal custody since May 21.
According to his plea agreement, in May 2026, the man was an able-bodied seaman on a crude oil tanker that was scheduled to arrive in El Segundo.
The man concealed approximately 195 kilograms (430 pounds) of cocaine in the vessel’s garbage space and in his room aboard the vessel.
On May 21, 2026, the tanker travelled near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. When it arrived in U.S. territory, the seafarer knew the cocaine remained on the vessel.
On that day, law enforcement recovered approximately 195 kilograms of cocaine concealed in trash bags in the vessel’s garbage space area.
According to court documents, the vessel’s crew had discovered the cocaine and alerted the ship’s captain, who later discovered the man possessed the drugs. The captain then secured the cocaine and notified law enforcement, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office.
On October 19 a sentencing hearing is scheduled, at which time the man will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
