A man from Mexico has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for trafficking marijuana into the United States, according to a federal judge.
Carlos Arturo Quintana, a 41-year-old man from Namiquipa, Chihuahua, Mexico, was recently given a sentence by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.
In August 2022, the United States extradited the man from Mexico.
During the operation, Quintana, dressed in a police uniform and driving a marked police vehicle, was met by the confidential informant. Quintana, along with other individuals also donning police uniforms, transported a substantial amount of 600 kilograms of marijuana using a dump truck.
The marijuana was discreetly tracked by the confidential informant using a GPS device.
A week later, the tracker unveiled that the marijuana had reached a storage facility in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. As a result, law enforcement conducted a raid on the facility, leading to arrests, the unfortunate loss of a life, and the seizure of drugs, firearms, and communication devices.
In January 2024, Quintana admitted his guilt in a conspiracy to unlawfully distribute over 100 kilograms of marijuana. He was aware that these controlled substances would be illegally transported into the United States.
Quintana was sentenced to 60 months in prison, along with four years of supervised release and a $10,000 fine. It’s important to note that there is no possibility of parole in the federal system.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office, in collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Las Cruces-Doña Ana County Metro Narcotics Agency, conducted a thorough investigation into the case.
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, a Democrat from New Mexico, is urging the nation to take stronger action in curbing the influx of illegal drugs, specifically fentanyl, through the southern border.
He is actively advocating for the passage of bills such as the FEND Off Fentanyl Act. This legislation aims to combat international criminal organizations involved in the trafficking of fentanyl. Additionally, he is pushing for the approval of the Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act. With this bill, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would have the ability to increase the recruitment of Officers and Border Patrol Agents, thereby enhancing their efforts to prevent drug smuggling at the border.
“I am actively collaborating with my colleagues in Congress to enact bipartisan legislation that will effectively cut off the illegal supply of fentanyl inundating our communities from China and Mexico. In a recent press release from my office, I shared that the Senate successfully passed a significant National Security Supplemental, which aims to bolster border security and prevent the influx of fentanyl at our southern border,” Heinrich stated. He further emphasized, “This comprehensive bill also encompasses the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, a bipartisan measure that I proudly co-sponsored. Its primary objective is to combat money laundering activities and seize the financial resources of overseas criminal organizations responsible for flooding our communities with illicit fentanyl.”