cocaine trafficker sentenced to ten years in federal prison
Anchorage, Alaska B U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced that former Anchorage resident Sergio Alonzo Enriquez, 29, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to ten years in prison for his role in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy that involved the shipment of drugs from Southern California to areas on the East Coast and Canada in vehicles with hidden compartments built into them. The conspiracy also involved the shipment of cash proceeds from the sale of the cocaine back to Southern California in the same vehicles.
From early 2008 until the fall of 2008, Enriquez was part of a ring that transported and sold hundreds of kilograms of cocaine originating from Mexico. During this time frame, the drug organization also transported hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash drug sale proceeds back to Southern California and ultimately, Mexico. In October, 2008, Enriquez and another individual were stopped in a pickup by the local Sheriff’s Department in Putnam County, Indiana, for a traffic violation. A search of the vehicle lead to the discovery of a hidden compartment in the truck that contained $637,000 in cash. The money and the vehicle were seized by law enforcement authorities in Indiana.
It was later discovered that Enriquez had purchased a different pickup truck in Anchorage in January of 2008, and had shipped the vehicle to California where it was modified with a hidden compartment built inside of the truck bed. That vehicle was then used in the cocaine trafficking and cash transportation activity. The investigation also revealed that Enriquez had been responsible for recruiting and supervising at least two drivers who worked for the narcotics trafficking organization.
Enriquez was indicted by the federal grand jury in Alaska in September, 2012, for his involvement in the drug trafficking conspiracy. He was later arrested in Lubbock, Texas where he had relocated. In late February, 2012, Enriquez plead guilty to conspiring with others to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph W. Bottini.
