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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Oct. 19, 2009
25 KILOS OF COCAINE SEND ARIZONA MAN TO PRISON
WICHITA, KAN. – Jose Romeo Cazares, 53, Tucson, Ariz., has been sentenced to 108 months in federal prison for drug trafficking, U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch said today.
In August 2009, Cazares pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. In his plea, he admitted that he was arrested Jan. 27, 2009, when a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper stopped his car on Interstate 70 near Collyer, Kan. When the trooper searched the car, he found a false compartment containing approximately 25 kilos (more than 55 pounds) of cocaine.
During a sentencing hearing today, prosecutors presented evidence that Cazares had come to the attention of law enforcement in December 2008 when he was stopped on Interstate 80 in Omaha. During that traffic stop, officers found a false compartment with 29 bundles of cash totaling $760,729.
Welch commended the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster for their work on the case.
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