LAS VEGAS MAN SENTENCED FOR DRUG CONSPIRACY

Ramiro “Tony” Flores, 62, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Edward J. Lodge in Boise, Idaho, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to launder drug proceeds. Flores was sentenced to 150 months in federal prison. Upon release from prison, he will be on supervised release for five years. Flores will also forfeit cash and properties totaling $185,000, which reflects property illegally obtained by Flores.

An investigation conducted by the Idaho State Police and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation revealed that Flores was the leader of a multi-state methamphetamine trafficking organization which supplied methamphetamine to Boise and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, as well as other states. Flores used package delivery services to move both drugs and currency between states. As a cover for his drug business, Flores conducted a Las Vegas landscaping business and cock-fighting chicken ranch.

The multi-year investigation resulted in search warrants and arrests in Las Vegas and Boise in July 2008. Flores pled guilty to the charges in February 2009.

The case was an OCDETF (Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force) investigation. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force which supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. Participating agencies included: The Idaho State Police, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Las Vegas Metro Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the BANDIT Task Force of Ada County.