Submarine Used for Intercounty Smuggling Operation

Members of a Howard County gang with ties to the Guyanese Chicos Orgullosos drug syndicate are facing charges after admitting to authorities that they used a small submarine to smuggle drugs across Triadelphia Reservoir and into Montgomery County.

Alejandro Desantese and Santiago Jiuliani of Elkridge were pulled over in December while driving a U-Haul in Montgomery County, when authorities found more than 8,000 pounds of marijuana in the truck. They later admitted to directing a smuggling organization that moves money and drugs intercounty by crossing the reservoir in a submarine.

Park Police authorities had seized a small submarine near the Pig Tail Recreation Area in November, which Desantese and Jiuliani admitted belonged to them. According to an Information Brief filed by prosecutors, the submarine has a 5-ton cargo hold and is outfitted with GPS and sonar. Gang members monitored drug movements shore-to-shore with drones.

Desantese, 29, and Jiuliani, 41, are being held in the county detention center until sentencing next month. They face a maximum of 25 years in prison.