cocaine trafficking

A six-month undercover investigation in Iredell County led to felony charges against 10 individuals for cocaine trafficking and conspiracy. The operation, conducted by the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, removed an estimated $60,000 worth of drugs from the area, with further arrests anticipated.

A low-level airport worker in Liberia became a drug mule for traffickers, leading to a $19 million cocaine seizure. Liberian senators held a security hearing to investigate the incident at Roberts International Airport.

A Spanish national, Alvaro Lopez Tardon, is appealing a 150-year prison sentence for drug trafficking and money laundering, arguing U.S. sentencing guidelines should not apply to crimes committed in Spain. Prosecutors allege he ran a seven-year cocaine smuggling operation from Miami to Spain, using proceeds to fund luxury purchases in the U.S.

11 Indian sailors were convicted under the NDLEA Act for cocaine trafficking in Nigeria, and their ship was fined $5.3 million.

Sergio Castillo-Lopez, a Mexican citizen who overstayed his U.S. tourist visa for eight years, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for cocaine trafficking. He operated a drug distribution network from his bedroom in Northwest Washington, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Four suspects, including two Mexican nationals and two Americans, were charged with trafficking over one ton of cocaine via a tunnel between a fake San Diego retail store and Tijuana, Mexico, for the Jalisco New Generation cartel. One suspect faces additional charges related to constructing or using an unauthorized tunnel.

Four suspects were charged with trafficking over one ton of cocaine for the Jalisco New Generation cartel, using a fake retail store in San Diego as a front for a tunnel connecting to Tijuana, Mexico. The defendants, including two Mexican nationals and two Americans, face life imprisonment, with one charged specifically for constructing or using unauthorized tunnels.

A man from Randolph was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for cocaine trafficking and firearm possession. The case involved the Brockton-based Harvard Street Gang and their Randolph affiliates.

A 53-year-old Laredo resident has been ordered to federal prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to do so. The individual previously received clemency but was sentenced for a new drug trafficking offense.

Lester Arrington, 34, of Naugatuck waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty to a cocaine trafficking charge in Bridgeport. The case was handled by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill.

Jemuel Vega-Gomez, a 26-year-old from New Britain, was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for trafficking cocaine. The sentencing was conducted by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford.

The U.S. has captured Eugenio Molina-Lopez, an alleged drug kingpin with a $10 million bounty on his head. He is accused of leading a gang that trafficked U.S.-bound cocaine from South America to Mexican cartels.