June 1, 2010

CALIFORNIA DRIVER PLEADS GUILTY TO SMUGGLING 28 POUNDS OF COCAINE

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Alfredo Alvarez Mariscal, 45, Hemet, Calif., has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch said today.

In his plea, Mariscal admitted he was stopped Sept. 18, 2009, by the Kansas Highway Patrol on Interstate 70 in Wabaunsee County, Kan. He was driving a white Ford 350 truck and pulling a flatbed trailer carrying a silver BMW. A trooper’s drug dog, Ike, detected the presence of drugs. Investigators found 13 kilograms (more than 28 pounds) of cocaine hidden in air tanks of a compressor in the rear of the truck.

Co-defendants in the case are: Robert Benavides Flores, Curtis Crow, Caesar Bonilla-Montiel, Mary Elizabeth Bardwell, Justin Selby, Michael Bigelow, James Anthony Clark, Esteban Magellon-Maldanado, Alfred Anaya, Ricardo Limon, Jaime Rodriguez, Jose Villanueva-Coyaso, Jesus Rios-Mendoza, Natasha, Petermann, and Yadira Rios-Mendoza.

Sentencing is set for Aug. 30, 2010. He faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life in federal prison. Welch commended the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their work on the case.