Puerto Rican Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Role in a Drug Conspiracy

TUCSON, Ariz. – Jefte Monell Diaz, 28, of Caguas, Puerto Rico, was sentenced on Tuesday by Chief U.S. District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 60 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Diaz previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.

On July 1, 2024, Diaz and his co-conspirators traveled from Tucson to Phoenix with approximately 100 pounds of methamphetamine, which they intended to deliver to another individual that evening. Diaz was indicted for his role in the conspiracy on Aug. 21, 2024.

This investigation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad.

Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

This HSTF Tucson led investigation comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS). Assistant U.S. Attorney David Petermann, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            24-CR-5415

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-056_Auz-Vasquez, et al.

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

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