THREE MEN SENTENCED IN PHOENIX AREA METH DISTRIBUTION CONSPIRACY

PHOENIX – On June 18, 2012, Eduardo Lopez-Camacho, 42, of Phoenix, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James A. Teilborg to 24 months in federal prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Lopez-Camacho pleaded guilty on March 21, 2012, to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

                 According to court documents, on Feb. 11, 2011, Lopez-Camacho was stopped by Utah law enforcement officers near Salt Lake City when he committed a traffic violation. During the course of the stop, officers located $31,360 in U.S. currency in a hidden compartment of Lopez-Camacho’s vehicle. Officers learned that the money was drug proceeds that Lopez-Camacho was being paid to transport. Following further investigation, drug charges were brought against four additional co-defendants.

                 Herman Eloy Llanes-Montoya, 39, and Luis Edel Ayala-Cruz, 29, both of Phoenix, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Llanes-Montoya and Ayala-Cruz were sentenced to federal prison terms of 57 months and 70 months, respectively. Each of their prison terms will be followed by two years of supervised release.

Two other co-defendants, Ramon Ayala-Lopez 40, and Jesus Eliobardo Ruiz-Vega, 34, both of Phoenix, remain at-large. Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts is encouraged to contact the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration at (602) 664-5600.

The investigation in this case was conducted primarily by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by William H. Bryan III, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-11-0492-PHX-JAT
RELEASE NUMBER:   2012-160(Lopez-Camacho_etal)

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