JURY CONVICTS DRUG KINGPIN SAMUEL KNOWLES ON IMPORTATION OF SEVERAL THOUSAND KILOGRAMS OF COCAINE

R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, announced today that defendant Samuel Knowles was found guilty on Counts 1 and 2 of the Indictment against him. In addition, forfeiture was ordered in the amount of $13,900,000, which represents the money received in exchange for and used to facilitate the distribution of narcotics. Knowles' sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 23, 2008. Knowles faces a maximum statutory sentence of life imprisonment on each count.
Knowles was extradited from the Bahamas on September 7, 2006 on federal narcotics charges. According to the evidence, Knowles was a participant in a conspiracy between 1995 and 1996 to import several thousand kilograms of cocaine into the United States using "go fast" vessels. Knowles and his co-conspirators used various routes in the Caribbean to facilitate their importation scheme.

Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys George M. Karavetsos, Ricardo Del Toro and Richard Brown.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.