Two Caldwell Men Arrested on Federal Drug Charges
BOISE – Herminio Sandoval, 58, and Rogelio Villasenor, 47, both of Caldwell, Idaho, were arrested today on federal drug charges, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. An arraignment date has not yet been set.
The arrests occurred this morning in connection with the execution of nine federal search warrants. The two men were indicted by a federal grand jury in May. According to the 19-page indictment, which was unsealed by the court earlier today, Sandoval and Villasenor are both charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana. Sandoval is also charged with conspiracy to maintain drug-involved premises, maintaining drug-involved premises, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $10 million, and at least five years of supervised release. The government is seeking criminal forfeiture of assets derived from the drug trafficking offenses.
The indictment was the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), involving the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office, City-County Narcotics Unit, which is comprised of the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office and Caldwell Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Idaho State Police, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Meridian Police Department, Nampa Police Department, U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Marshals Service, and the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force, a task force comprised of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in the Treasure Valley.
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.
An indictment is only an allegation of criminal conduct and is not evidence of guilt. A person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a collaborative effort by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and communities to prevent and deter gun violence.
