Mexican National Sentenced to 9 Years’ Imprisonment for Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Charge

United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Luis Salazar-Cabrera, 40, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced March 20, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Salazar-Cabrera to 108 months’ imprisonment. After Salazar-Cabrera’s release from prison, he will be deported to Mexico as he is not a United States citizen.

In April of 2022, codefendant Martin Caballero-Bringas asked a third party to front him cash to pay for a delivery of meth to Omaha. Homeland Security Investigations Omaha provided the third party with $3,000 who gave the money to Salazar-Cabrera who then wired the money to three separate individuals as directed by Caballero-Bringas.

In early May of 2022, Caballero-Bringas coordinated the shipment of meth and fentanyl from southern California through Wichita, Kansas, to Omaha. Caballero-Bringas asked the third party to coordinate with a transportation company to coordinate the pick-up of the meth and fentanyl in Los Angeles, California, and transport it to Wichita, Kansas, where Caballero-Bringas had arranged for Salazar-Cabrera to receive the drugs and bring them to Omaha. However, the vehicle transporting the drug load was seized by Homeland Security Investigations in California and found containing 35 kilograms of meth and 6 kilograms of fentanyl.

In October of 2022, Salazar-Cabrera was traffic stopped in Lancaster County, Nebraska, while transporting 6 kilograms of fentanyl from Omaha to Grand Island. Recorded calls show that Salazar-Cabrera was transporting the fentanyl at the request of codefendant Caballero-Bringas.

Caballero-Bringas has plead guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced May 1, 2024.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.