Federal authorities have indicted two foreign nationals after more than 76 kilograms of hashish were seized at Miami International Airport. The indictments follow an incident on February 11, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered large amounts of vacuum-sealed hashish in the checked luggage of Joseph Mark Delacruz, 24, from the United Kingdom, and Sezer Ali Ilhan, 20, from Germany.
According to court documents, Delacruz attempted to board a flight from Miami to São Paulo, Brazil. CBP officers found approximately 38.32 kilograms of hashish concealed inside two suitcases checked under his name. On the same day, a CBP K-9 unit alerted officers to two additional suitcases checked under Ilhan’s name for a separate flight to Brazil. Officers then found about 37.77 kilograms of hashish in those bags.
Both individuals were stopped at their departure gates before boarding their flights.
Delacruz and Ilhan face charges of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and attempting to export a controlled substance. If convicted, each could receive up to 20 years in federal prison for each count.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami.
HSI Miami is leading the investigation into these cases.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Terrades from the Border and Immigration Crimes Enforcement (BICE) Section is prosecuting both cases. BICE was established by U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones with the goal of improving border security in South Florida, protecting entry points, enforcing immigration laws, and dismantling smuggling networks that operate through the region. The section brings together expertise in narcotics, immigration law, fraud detection, and violent crime investigations as part of its focus on threats related to border security.
“An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
Further information about these cases can be found on the website for the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case numbers 26-cr-20060 (Delacruz) and 26-cr-20059 (Ilhan).
