Mexican national guilty of $4.7 million methamphetamine and heroin conspiracy in Chancery

KANSAS CITY — A Mexican national who worked with a drug trafficking organization linked to the Carteles Unidos cartel in Michoacán, Mexico, was convicted last week by a federal jury of participating in a $4.7 million conspiracy to distribute more than 335 kilograms of methamphetamine. . and 22 kilograms of heroin in the Kansas City metropolitan area and throughout the United States, according to the U.S. Attorney.

Luis Eduardo Pineda-Zarao, 29, a Mexican national residing in Lebanon, Tennessee, was found guilty of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and heroin between February 28, 2020 and June 1, 2022.

The indictment alleges the conspiracy included the distribution of more than 335.5 kilograms of methamphetamine at an average street price of $300 per ounce and more than 22.1 kilograms of heroin at an average street price of $1,500 per ounce.

During the course of the investigation, federal Homeland Security Investigations agents made two undercover cash removals totaling $308,775 and seized $610,400 in cash, more than 56 kilograms of methamphetamine, 5.5 kilograms of heroin, 2.6 kilograms of marijuana and at least eight firearms. two of which were stolen. Law enforcement officials also seized $277,863 during the vehicle stop and $114,863 while executing search warrants at four residences in Kansas City, Missouri.

Pineda-Zarao is among 44 people charged in the case. Nine co-defendants have been sentenced, and 34 co-defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

After presenting evidence, jurors in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri, deliberated for less than an hour before returning a guilty verdict to U.S. District Judge Greg Case, concluding a trial that began Monday, Oct. 21.

Under federal law, Pineda-Zarao is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole or up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is set by Congress and is presented here for informational purposes because the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled following the completion of an investigation by the United States Probation Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Edwards and Megan Baker are prosecuting this case. He was investigated by Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Drug Enforcement Administration, Jackson County Drug Task Force, IRS Criminal Investigative Service, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City Police Department. , Kansas, Police Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Kansas Highway Patrol, Independence, Missouri, Police Department, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Minnesota State Patrol, Olmsted County, Minnesota, Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety, FBI, Clay County, State of Missouri Sheriff’s Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force

This case is part of an Organized Crime Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-led, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

KC Metro Strike Force

This prosecution was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Joint Strike Force Initiative, which calls for the creation of permanent interagency task forces that will operate side-by-side at the same location. This combined model allows agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a range of high-priority targets and their affiliated illicit financial networks. These combined prosecutor-led strike forces benefit from the synergy that comes from the long-term relationships that can be built by agents, analysts and prosecutors who stay together over time, and they embody the model that has proven most effective in fighting organized crime. crime. The primary mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that pose a significant threat to the public, economic, or national security of the United States.