SAN JUAN: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) San Juan Office of Field Operations officers arrested a citizen of the Dominican Republic and a convicted aggravated felon who was removed and barred from re-entering the United States.
Enrique Cedano-Santana appeared before US Magistrate Judge Silvia Carreño-Coll for charges for improper entry of a previously removed aggravated felon.
Mr. Cedano-Santana was found at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, attempting to travel to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on board of JetBlue airlines flight. He presented CBP Officers an expired Dominican Republic passport and a copy of his Dominican Republic “Cédula”.
The passenger was escorted to secondary inspection, where law enforcement databases revealed that Mr. Cedano-Santana was convicted in 2002 of Possession with Intent to distribute Heroin, serving a sentence of 57 months imprisonment and 5 years of supervised release, being removed in 2005 and barred from re-entering the United States at any time.
“CBP officers seek to detect and apprehend convicted criminals who try re-enter the country illegally and return to break our laws,” stated Marcelino Borges, Director of Field Operations for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
If convicted, Mr. Cedano-Santana could be fined, imprisoned not more than 20 years or both.
All defendants are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law.
