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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
April 20 , 2009
MARIJUANA SMUGGLER SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Jorge Belisario-Ruiz, 32, has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation that smuggled marijuana in semi-trailer trucks from El Paso, Texas, to Kansas City, Kan., Acting U.S. Attorney Marietta Parker said today.
In January, Belisario-Ruiz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana. Belisario-Ruiz, who goes by the nickname “Mexican George,” admitted he and other traffickers were responsible for more than 6,000 pounds of marijuana delivered between December 2006 and August 2007 to the Kansas City area.
According to the plea agreement, in December 2006 a Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper responded to report of a stolen semi-trailer truck in Kansas City, Kan. Two security personnel from a company in El Paso had tracked down the GPS-equipped truck after it was stolen from the company’s lot. The driver was arrested and investigators found more than 680 pounds of marijuana on the truck. Investigators determined that co-defendant Alton Nickles had directed the theft of the truck and the delivery of the marijuana.
In August 2007, investigators intercepted another semi-trailer truck carrying more than 720 pounds of marijuana destined for delivery to Nickles. Investigators arranged for a controlled delivery to Nickles, who then delivered the marijuana to co-defendant Silverio Ruiz, who was working for Belisario-Ruiz. Investigators determined that on nearly 20 occasions loads of marijuana had been delivered to Belisario-Ruiz or Ruiz.
Co-defendants include:
Silverio Ruiz, 23, who was sentenced to 70 months.
Alton Nickles, 40, Overland Park, Kan., who was sentenced to 35 months.
Parker commended the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot for their work on the case.
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