Dominican Republic Citizen Extradited to the United States from the Dominican Republic to Face Drug Trafficking Charges Following a Homeland Security Task Force Initiative

<p>SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Dominican authorities extradited Fidel Antonio Knight-Cerda to the United States to face drug trafficking and money laundering charges filed in the District of Puerto Rico, announced Héctor Ramírez-Carbó, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The defendant was arrested in the Dominican Republic on July 8, 2026, and extradited to Puerto Rico on Wednesday, September 2, 2026.</p><p>“This extradition is another important step towards the total elimination of international drug cartels and demonstrates the commitment of the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners, and the cooperation of the Dominican authorities, to work together to bring international drug traffickers to justice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ramírez-Carbó. “We will continue to maximize our multi-agency efforts to disrupt and dismantle international drug cartels that poison our streets and communities with dangerous drugs by smuggling these into Puerto Rico and the continental United States.”&nbsp;</p><p>“Today’s action underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to pursuing transnational criminal actors wherever they operate. Working alongside our partners, we will continue to dismantle networks that threaten the safety and stability of our communities,” said Carlos R. Goris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “This extradition demonstrates that no distance, no alliance, and no criminal infrastructure will shield individuals from accountability. We will remain relentless until every member of these organizations faces justice.”&nbsp;</p><p>On September 7, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Knight-Cerda with international conspiracy to distribute cocaine, international distribution of cocaine, and conspiracy to commit money laundering derived from specified unlawful activity – drug trafficking. Knight-Cerda facilitated drug trafficking and money laundering activity between La Romana, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, through cryptocurrency.</p><p>According to the superseding indictment, since at least February of 2022, Knight-Cerda conspired to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine intending, knowing, and having reasonable cause to believe that it would be imported into the United States. The indictment also charges that Knight- Cerda conspired to commit money laundering derived from drug trafficking since no later than March 17, 2021.&nbsp;</p><p>Specifically, the indictment states that on or about March 17, 2021, Knight-Cerda and another co-conspirator directed the delivery of approximately $400,000 in U.S. currency – the product of drug trafficking -- to an individual in San Juan, Puerto Rico, who converted the drug proceeds to cryptocurrency. On or about March 24, 2021, Knight-Cerda and another co-conspirator directed the delivery of approximately $2,000,000 in U.S. currency / drug proceeds to an individual in San Juan, Puerto Rico, who converted the drug proceeds to cryptocurrency.&nbsp;</p><p>On September 2, 2026, Knight-Cerda was extradited from the Dominican Republic to San Juan, Puerto Rico following an initiative by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) Region 22, located in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.&nbsp;</p><p>The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, FBI Legal Attaché in Santo Domingo and law enforcement partners in the Dominican Republic provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition to the United States of Cerda. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service collaborated during the investigation and arrest of Knight-Cerda.</p><p>The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio L. Pérez-Alonso&nbsp;under the supervision of Chief María L. Montañez-Concepción from the Transnational Organized Crime Section.&nbsp;</p><p>If convicted, Knight-Cerda faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison for the drug trafficking charges and a sentence of up to 20 years of imprisonment for the money laundering charge.</p><p>This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Juan comprises agents and officers from the following federal partners: FBI, ICE-HSI, CBP (OFO, AMO and Border Patrol), the U.S. Marshals Service for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, DEA, ATF, IRS, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of State, and the U.S. Secret Service, the Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA, TSA, FAA, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The HSTF also has the following state and local law enforcement partners as participating agencies: the Puerto Rico Police Department; the San Juan, Carolina, Guaynabo, Barceloneta, and Ponce Municipal Police Departments, the Puerto Rico National Guard – Counter Drug Program; the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Service (Hacienda); the Puerto Rico Port Authority; and the Virgin Islands Police Department.</p><p><em>An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.</em></p><p class="text-align-center"><strong>###</strong></p>