Ten Others Pled Guilty Earlier to Related Charges in Treasure Valley Meth Case

BOISE – U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced today that the final defendant in a large Treasure Valley methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy has been convicted in federal court.

Victor Chavez Garcia, 20, of Nampa, Idaho, was convicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams of methamphetamine and two counts of using a communication facility in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. The conspiracy charge carries a minimum term of 10 years up to life in prison, a maximum fine of $4 million, and at least five years of supervised release. Each count of using a communication facility is punishable by up to four years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. Chavez-Garcia is scheduled to be sentenced on October 1, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Boise.

During the four-day trial, the jury heard evidence that beginning in September 2009 and continuing until mid-January 2011, Chavez-Garcia and his co-defendants conspired to distribute more than five pounds of methamphetamine in Canyon County, Idaho. According to trial testimony, the organization brought pounds of methamphetamine into Idaho from surroundings states and distributed it throughout the Treasure Valley. During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized five pounds of methamphetamine, marijuana, numerous firearms, vehicles, and more than $30,000 in currency.

Co-defendant Jorge Luis Cardoza, a Mexican national, was sentenced in federal court on June 12 to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Nine others are scheduled to be sentenced over the next three months.

• Lourdes Muro-Garcia pled guilty to money laundering. Sentencing is set for July 23.
• Juventino Lara-Plancarte pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Sentencing is set for July 24.
• Ronald Garcia pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Sentencing is set for July 24.
• Randi Leann Atkisson pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Sentencing is set for August 6.
• Fabian Nunez-Garcia pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Sentencing is set for August 20.
• Jose Ramon Escobedo-Gonzalez pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Sentencing is set for August 30.
• Diego Gomez-Lara, a Mexican national formerly living in Nampa, Idaho, pled guilty to using a communication device in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Sentencing is set for September 4.
• Antony Alegria Zedeno pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Sentencing is set for September 4.
• Benjamin Prieto, formerly living in Nampa, pled guilty to attempted possession with intent to distribute 50 grams of methamphetamine. Sentencing is set for September 17.

“Mr. Chavez-Garcia's conviction brings to a successful conclusion this large-scale methamphetamine trafficking investigation,” said Olson. “Mr. Chavez-Garcia and his ten co-defendants sought to bring a highly addictive drug into the Treasure Valley, endangering our communities. The jury's verdict aptly demonstrates that there is no room for this criminal conduct in Idaho. I commend the cooperative efforts of the federal, state and local law enforcement officers who worked on this case, as well as the excellent prosecution skills of Assistants United States Attorney Mike Fica and Marc Haws.”

In addition to these individuals prosecuted in federal court, as part of the joint investigation and prosecution between state and federal officials, the following individuals were convicted and sentenced in Canyon County.

• Alonso Fernandez Aguilera, 29, of Nampa, pled guilty to solicitation to traffic in methamphetamine, was sentenced by Judge Juneal Kerrick on October 5, 2011, to 12 years in prison, with the first two years determinate.
• Mario Fernandez, 33, of Nampa, pled guilty to conspiracy to traffic in methamphetamine, was sentenced by Judge Juneal Kerrick on September 1, 2011, to nine years in prison, with the first three years determinate.
• Jose Obregon, 34, of Caldwell, pled guilty to conspiracy to traffic in methamphetamine, was sentenced by Judge Juneal Kerrick on November 8, 2011, to 10 years in prison, with the first three years determinate.
• Carlos Garcia, 36, of Caldwell, pled guilty to conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine, was sentenced by Judge Juneal Kerrick on August 24, 2011, to 10 years in prison, with the first two years determinate.
• Maria Marin, 33, of Caldwell, pled guilty to solicitation to traffic in methamphetamine, was sentenced by Judge Juneal Kerrick on September 1, 2011, to seven and one-half years in prison, with the first one and one-half years determinate.
• Elena Lupuleasa, 30, of Nampa, pled guilty to conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine, was sentenced by Judge Renae Hoff on July 25, 2011, to 15 years in prison, with the first five years determinate and the court retained jurisdiction.
• Marco Cervantes, 34, of Nampa, pled guilty to solicitation to deliver methamphetamine, was sentenced by Judge Renae Hoff on October 25, 2011, to 10 years in prison, with the first one and one-half years determinate.
• Gabriel Salazar, 30, of Nampa, pled guilty to two charges of conspiracy to possess methamphetamine, was sentenced by Judge Renae Hoff on October 7, 2011, to seven years in prison, with the first three years determinate.
• Kelly Smith, 53, of Meridian, pled guilty to possession of methamphetamine, was sentenced by Judge Juneal Kerrick on July 7, 2012, to five years in prison, with the first two and one-half years determinate. The sentence was suspended and Smith was placed on probation for a period of three years.
• Martha Chavez, 52, of Mexico, pled guilty to accessory to trafficking in methamphetamine, was sentenced by Judge Thomas Ryan on April 11, 2011, to two years of probation, the judgment was withheld.
• Guadalupe Bonilla-Vargas, 29, of Mexico, pled guilty to accessory to trafficking in methamphetamine, was sentenced by Judge Renae Hoff on April 5, 2011, to five years in prison, the first two years determinate. The sentence was suspended and Bonilla-Vargas was placed on probation for four years.

“Methamphetamine is a scourge in our community,” said Bryan Taylor, Canyon County Prosecutor. “The successful collaboration of state and federal agencies working together in Operation Flamethrower dealt a serious blow to the trafficking of methamphetamine in the Treasure Valley. I appreciate the efforts of our state and federal law enforcement officers and prosecutors, including Canyon County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ellie Somoza and Gearld Wolff.”

The Organized Crime/Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) case, named “Operation Flamethrower,” is the result of a year-long, multi-agency investigation. Investigators and prosecutors from federal, state, and local agencies cooperated in the arrests and seizures. It included the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Nampa Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, Canyon County Sheriff's Office, Canyon County SWAT team, Metro Violent Crime Task Force, Idaho State Police, Caldwell Police Department, Ada County Sheriff's Office, Boise Police Department, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Canyon County Prosecutor's Office, and the United States Attorney's Office.

The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.