United States v. Vanston Venner Williams

JILL PRYOR, Circuit Judge:

In the waning hours of May 9, 2015, the crew of the Rasputin—defendants Yanston Yenner Williams, Mario Alin Bent Barker, Carlos Clemente Henry Taylor, Edince Garcia Cardoza, and Hendrick Guillermo Linero Duffis—were traveling away from Colon, Panama when, much like their vessel’s namesake, their luck ran out. A Coast Guard cutter approached the Rasputin, which sped away as four of the crew members swiftly threw dozens of packages overboard, none of which were recovered. Although the defendants successfully jettisoned their contraband, they could not elude the Coast…