MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO TRAFFICKING HEROIN VALUED AT $1.3 MILLION DOLLARS

                 PHOENIX- On June 19, 2012, Dario Alcaraz Vega, 49, of San Luis, Sonora, Mexico, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin before United States Magistrate Judge David K. Duncan in federal court in Phoenix.

                 According to the plea agreement, on Feb. 8, 2012, Alcaraz Vega applied for admission into the United States from the Republic of Mexico at the San Luis Port of Entry while driving a 1995 Ford F-150 pick-up truck. A search of the truck revealed 22.85 kilograms of heroin and 1.25 kilograms of methamphetamine located in the spare tire. Alcaraz Vega was to be paid $3,000 to deliver the drugs. The estimated street value of the heroin is $1.3 million dollars.

                 A conviction for possession with intent to distribute heroin carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, a $10 million dollar fine, or both. In determining an actual sentence, U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges. Judge Snow, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

                 Sentencing is set before Judge Snow on Sept. 17, 2012, at 11 a.m.

                 The investigation in this case was conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations. The prosecution is being handled by Kiyoko Patterson, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-12-0331-PHX-GMS
RELEASE NUMBER:   2012-157(Vega)

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/