Eugene, Ore. – Matthew Peter Harway, Eugene, Oregon, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Michael R. Hogan to serve 12 years and 7 months in prison following his conviction for distributing 50 grams of heroin.
Judge Hogan found that Harway, 41, was a career offender with felony convictions in Oregon which included two robberies, burglary, escape, seven thefts of identification, eight forgeries, seven first degree thefts, hindering prosecution, unlawful use of a computer, and three possessions of methamphetamine. His misdemeanor convictions included assaulting a public safety officer, menacing, three second-degree thefts, two attempts to elude police officers and reckless driving. Between December 2006 and March 2007, Harway purchased heroin from Arturo Arciga, and in January 2007, Harway was seen by undercover federal agents and Oregon State police officers distributing heroin to an informant at a shopping center parking lot.
Harway’s source, Arturo Arciga, was the leader of a heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking organization headquartered in Lane County, Oregon. Arciga previously pled guilty and was sentenced by Judge Hogan to a 13-year and 4-month prison term for distributing heroin and methamphetamine. His guilty plea followed guilty pleas by his co-conspirators, Cornelio Arciga, Estaban Arciga, Sr., Estaban Arciga, Jr., Luis Sanchez and Cruz Armabula-Lara. Harway’s guilty plea followed the guilty pleas of Keith Kelsch, Rachel Shoemaker, Michael Mann, and Linda Mann, all of whom also pled guilty to distributing heroin supplied to them by Arciga’s organization. Javier Campos-Diaz, Victor Cruz-Leon, George Yvanez, Frank Diaz, Daniel McCahan, Jade VanCleave, and Stanley Hixson have pled guilty to possessing and distributing methamphetamine supplied to them by Arciga or his accomplices.
One of Arciga’s suppliers of heroin, Armando Paz-Mendez, an illegal alien from Michoacan, Mexico, was previously sentenced by Judge Hogan to 15 years in prison. One of Arciga’s suppliers of methamphetamine, Salvadore Vargas-Molina, was sentenced to 46 months in prison.
These prosecutions were the result of the joint efforts of agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Oregon State Police, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, and the Springfield and Eugene Police Departments. These officials conducted undercover and surveillance operations over several years. The information derived from these operations provided a factual basis for a court order authorizing DEA to intercept the telecommunications of Arciga, and Paz-Mendez and others over a several month period. In March 2007, that investigation led to the arrest of 34 individuals, including Arciga and members of his family. To date, 32 of these defendants have pleaded guilty.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Papagni.
