A citizen of Mexico has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for his involvement as the leader of a drug trafficking organization. He admitted to being responsible for distributing large quantities of meth and heroin on the streets of Kansas City.
On Thursday, February 22nd, Panfilo Acuna Jr., a 29-year-old Mexican citizen and resident of Kansas City, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison without the possibility of parole. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri announced that Acuna had been convicted of heading a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin.
According to court records, Acuna was directed to surrender $550,603 to the government, which represents the amount he would have earned from the drug trafficking conspiracy.
On October 13, 2022, court records revealed that Acuna has admitted his guilt in the following charges: conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, conspiracy to commit money laundering, 42 counts of money laundering, and one count of international money laundering.
Acuna confessed to being the head of a drug-trafficking group that distributed methamphetamine and heroin across the Kansas City metropolitan area from 2016 to 2020. He was the main supplier of these drugs to twelve co-defendants involved in the case.
Acuna confessed to distributing approximately 250 lbs of methamphetamine and laundering over $500,000 in proceeds from drug trafficking. He sourced the drugs from California and Mexico and organized shipments to the Kansas City area. Acuna employed various methods to transport the drugs, including couriers, parcel carriers, and commercial delivery services. To conceal the drugs, he ingeniously hid them inside furniture and other consumer goods.
Court records reveal that Acuna engaged in over 1,000 transactions from 2015 to 2020, primarily with individuals in California and Mexico, as part of a drug trafficking operation. These transactions amounted to a total of $305,109 in deposits and $246,494 in wire transfers. Additionally, Acuna sent approximately $20,060 to individuals in Mexico through 22 money transfers as a contribution to the overall conspiracy.
On October 1, 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) carried out a search warrant at Acuna’s apartment in collaboration with the Jackson County Drug Task Force. During the operation, law enforcement officials discovered and confiscated a total of 19 firearms, along with a substantial quantity of ammunition, magazines, drug ledgers, 10 grams of heroin, and almost 3 kilograms of methamphetamine.
According to the Office, Acuna becomes the ninth defendant to receive a sentence in the case. Additionally, two other co-defendants have already pleaded guilty and are currently awaiting their sentencing.