Three Individuals Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine
DAVENPORT, IA – On March 15, 2012, Vanessa Lopez, age 25, and Gaston Pena Arzola, age 24, both from Davenport, Iowa, and Luis Enrique Chaidez, age 25, of Chicago, Illinois, were sentenced to 24 months, 37 months, and 120 months of imprisonment respectively for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. United States District Judge John A Jarvey also sentenced Lopez and Pena to two years of supervised release and Chaidez to five years of supervised release following imprisonment and for each to pay $100 to the Crime Victims Fund. All three had previously entered guilty pleas in federal court for violating Title 21, United States Code, Section 846, for conspiring to distribute cocaine.
In the summer of 2011, Rock Island Police began investigating a group of individuals responsible for distributing cocaine in the Quad Cities. After conducting a series of controlled purchases of cocaine, police identified Chaidez as the source of cocaine and Lopez and Pena as local distributors. Chaidez transported cocaine from Chicago to Lopez, who then distributed it to various individuals, including Pena. Chaidez had previously transported cocaine to Lopez’s father and brother, Justo Lopez Senior and Justo Lopez Junior, until their arrest on federal drug charges. During the course of the conspiracy, Chaidez transported at least five kilograms of cocaine from Chicago to Davenport. Pena and Chaidez are both Mexican citizens and will be surrendered to Immigration and Customs Enforcement following their term of imprisonment for deportation proceedings to Mexico.
This case was investigated by the Davenport Police Department, the Rock Island Police Department, the Quad Cities Metropolitan Enforcement Group, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
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