BOISE – Andres Barajas-Linares, 40, a Mexican national formerly living in Meridian, Idaho, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for distributing cocaine, unlawfully possessing a firearm, and being a deported alien illegally in the United States, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge ordered Barajas-Linares to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term, forfeit the firearms found in his possession. Barajas- Linares pleaded guilty to the charges on February 23, 2012.

According to the plea agreement, Barajas-Linares admitted that on July 9, 2008, he distributed 32 grams of cocaine to co-defendant Juan Carlos Olivares-Munoz, who then sold the cocaine to another individual for $1,000. Barajas-Linares was paid $900 for the cocaine. On September 9, 2008, during the execution of a federal search warrant at Barajas-Linares' residence, investigators seized three firearms and drug paraphernalia, which the defendant later admitted possessing. Court records show that on April 3, 1992, Barajas-Linares was convicted of possession of a controlled substance in Oregon, a felony crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year. A search of federal immigration records determined that Barajas-Linares was lawfully removed from the United States on March 14, 1998, and later re-entered the United States without lawful authority.

Co-defendant Juan Carlos Olivares-Munoz pled guilty and was sentenced on November 2, 2009, to eight months in prison for distributing cocaine.

The case was investigated by the Canyon County Sheriff's Office, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Idaho State Police.