COLORADO RIVER INDIAN TRIBE METHAMPHETAMINE TRAFFICKER PLEADS GUILTY

                 PHOENIX – Today in federal district court in Phoenix, Rhesa Briann Cuadras, 33, of Big River, Calif., pleaded guilty to one count of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

                 Cuadras was charged with four counts of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. The indictment alleged that between June and August of 2010, Cuadras sold methamphetamine in the Colorado River Indian Tribe Villas subdivision, in Parker, Ariz.

                 A conviction for possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, a $2,000,000 fine, or both. A conviction also carries a minimum term of five years in prison. In determining an actual sentence, U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

                 Sentencing is set before Judge Bolton on Oct. 15, 2012.

                 The investigation in this case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office, and the Colorado River Indian Tribes Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by James Morse Jr., Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix, and W. Scott Julian, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, who is also a tribal prosecutor for the Colorado River Indian Tribes.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-12-0260-001-PHX-SRB
RELEASE NUMBER:   2012-171(Cuadras)

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