Six Co-Defendants Set to Plead Guilty Next Week

BOISE – The first three of ten defendants in a Southwest Idaho drug trafficking conspiracy entered guilty pleas in federal court this week, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Jimenez Valencia a/k/a Jorge Jimenez, 25, a Mexican national formerly living in Nampa, Idaho, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Alonso Martinez, 25, also a Mexican national, of Delano, California, and Tanna Spencer, 30, of Parma, Idaho, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, beginning in January 2011, and continuing through December 16, 2011, the defendants conspired with others to possess and distribute methamphetamine in the Treasure Valley. On or about October 27, 2011, in furtherance of the conspiracy, Valencia received from a co-defendant and subsequently distributed in excess of 50 grams of methamphetamine to other persons. According to the plea agreement, Martinez admitted that on October 17, 2011, he traveled from California to Idaho for the purpose of distributing methamphetamine at the direction of other co-defendants. Martinez subsequently met with a co-defendant in Meridian, Idaho, after which he delivered in excess of 50 grams of actual methamphetamine to the individual, as directed by other co-conspirators.

Valencia and Spencer are set for sentencing on January 22 and Martinez on January 23, 2013, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Boise.

Valencia and Martinez face a minimum term of ten years to life in prison, a maximum fine of $10 million, and at least five years of supervised release. Spencer faces up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1 million, and at least three years of supervised release.

Six co-defendants, all Mexican nationals, are set to enter guilty pleas in November to related drug trafficking offenses, including Alfredo Dominguez-Villareal a/k/a Alfredo Vasquez-Dominguez, 29, of Boise; Nelson Fernando Garcia-Soto, 39, of Boise; Delia Garcia-Pineda, 44, of Boise; Cynthia Casillas, 24, of Delano, California; Juan Carlos Arredondo-Sicairos, 34, of Delano, California; and Hector Morales, 29, of Tallamantez, California.

The remaining co-defendant, Samuel Chavez, 32, of Boise, is set for trial on January 22 in Boise.

The case was the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), led by the Drug Enforcement Administration in conjunction with the Boise Police Department and the Ada County Sheriff's Office. The OCDETF program is a federal multi agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. Federal task force members include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Marshals Service.