4 Colombians Arrested in an Alleged Scheme to Retrieve Drugs From Ship

Los Angeles police and federal agents Saturday arrested three Colombian nationals who were allegedly part of a drug smuggling ring that used sophisticated equipment to retrieve cocaine hidden in boxers’ punching bags in the hold of a ship.

A fourth Colombian, a diver who allegedly used a torpedo-like propulsion device to reach a hatch in the ship’s hull, was arrested late Friday.

Federal agents seized 177 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $8 million, from the ship more than a week ago in San Francisco, but deceived the alleged smugglers into believing it was still aboard the Greek-registered Adrienne, Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Ralph Lockridge said.

The 600-foot vessel left Cartagena, Colombia, carrying powder cement bound for San Francisco. On March 7, customs officials conducting a routine search found the drugs in the punching bags, Lockridge said.

DEA agents determined that the drugs were destined for Los Angeles, and replaced the cocaine with flour, he said.

When the ship berthed in Los Angeles, federal agents and police put the ship under surveillance.

Authorities arrested Hector Julian Ramirez, 20, who had been living in Miami, Friday after he allegedly used a propulsion system and other sophisticated diving gear to enter the Adrienne through a hatch below the water line and attempted to remove the punching bags.

“He was under water for quite a few hours,” said Lockridge. “He tried to enter the ship through the trap doors under water.” He was arrested when he surfaced.

About 1:30 p.m. Saturday, at the St. George Motel in Tarzana, about 25 law enforcement officers arrested three other Colombian citizens who authorities believe are the distributors who planned to collect the drugs, Lockridge said.

“These were the middle men who were going to distribute (the drugs) to multi-kilo distributors in Los Angeles,” Lockridge said.

Arrested were Ivan Ochoa, 38, who had been living in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Luis Fernando Ochoa, 30, who was living in Hollywood; and Julian Zambrano-Martinez, 54, of Bogota, Colombia.

All four men were being held at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles on suspicion of importation of cocaine and conspiracy to possess cocaine for distribution.