Dominican citizen extradited to the United States from the British Virgin Islands to face drug trafficking charges

Date: Feb. 9, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

San Juan, PR - British Virgin Islands authorities extradited Francis Hidalgo-Cedano to the United States to face drug trafficking charges filed in the District of Puerto Rico, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. Hidalgo-Cedano was arrested in the British Virgin Islands pursuant to a provisional arrest request by the United States on Nov. 5, 2025, and extradited to Puerto Rico on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.

"This extradition is another important step in our fight against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime. This prosecution demonstrates the commitment of the Department of Justice, and our law enforcement partners, and the cooperation of international authorities to work together to bring drug traffickers to justice," said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. "We will continue to maximize our multi-agency efforts to disrupt and dismantle international drug cartels that smuggle drugs into Puerto Rico and the continental United States."

On January 28, 2026, the British Virgin Islands extradited Francis Hidalgo-Cedano, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, to the United States to stand trial in the District of Puerto Rico on charges related to the possession, importation, and distribution of cocaine.

According to court documents, in September 2023, law enforcement authorities in Puerto Rico observed a vessel being hauled out of the water by Hidalgo-Cedano and his co-conspirators. Concealed within the floor of the vessel were approximately 258 brick-shaped packages of cocaine with a gross weight of 305.4 kilograms. During the interaction with law enforcement authorities, Hidalgo-Cedano absconded, but left his boating license with law enforcement. British Virgin Islands authorities arrested Hidalgo-Cedano on immigration offenses and the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs (OIA) worked closely with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Puerto Rico, and the Department of State to submit a provisional arrest request, in order to ensure the continued detention of Hidalgo-Cedano pending extradition.

On January 12, 2026, following Hidalgo-Cedano's consent to extradition, the Governor of the British Virgin Islands issued an order granting Hidalgo-Cedano's extradition to the United States. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs worked closely with the United States Marshals Service and provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition to the United States of Hidalgo-Cedano.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney María Cristina Semanaz Ojeda under the supervision of Chief Myriam Y. Fernández-González and Deputy Chief María L. Montañez-Concepción from the Money Laundering & Transnational Organized Crime Section.

Francis Hidalgo-Cedano is charged with six counts of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine aboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspiracy and importation of cocaine, and conspiracy to possess and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.