Indictment: California Woman Had 60+ Pounds of Meth in Her Car

WICHITA, KAN. – A California woman was indicted Tuesday on a federal charge of smuggling more than 60 pounds of methamphetamine into Kansas, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

Maria Alvarez-Buenrostro, 46, Los Angeles, Calif., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The Kansas Highway Patrol stopped Alvarez-Buenrostro for a traffic violation on I-70 near Hays in Ellis County. Troopers found 33 heat-sealed bags of meth hidden in a rear quarter panel and both rear doors of her Ford Explorer.

If convicted, she faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $4 million. The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.        

OTHER INDICTMENTS

Jassiel Varela-Aniles, 29, Liberal, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by following a felony conviction and one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being convicted of an aggravated felony and deported. He was found January 15, 2019, in Seward County, Kan, after being a fugitive on the run.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the first two counts and up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the last count. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan McCarty is prosecuting.

Marco Antonio Cardenas-Rodriguez, 41, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found July 27, 2018, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.

Sherri Byerly, 58, Great Bend, Kan., is charged with one count of fraudulently receiving Supplemental Security Income. The crime is alleged to have occurred from 2003 to 2016 in Barton County, Kan.

If convicted, she faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Social Security Administration – OIG investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.

John O. Green, 52, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of threatening a Social Security Administration employee. The crime is alleged to have occurred June 25, 2018, in Wichita, Kan.

If convicted, he faces up to a year in federal prison and a fine up to $3,000. The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster is prosecuting.

David A. Logan, 50, Fort Scott, Kan., a contract driver for the U.S. Postal Service, is charged with stealing mail. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2017 and 2018 in Chanute, Kan.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Postal Service – OIG investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.

David L. Madden, 37, Alden, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a machine gun. The crime is alleged to have occurred Feb. 22, 2017, in Rice County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.

William Bedell, 57, Wichita, Kan., is charged with fraudulently receiving Social Security benefits. The crime is alleged to have occurred during 2014 through 2017 in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Social Security Administration – OIG investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith is prosecuting.

Jose Luis Rios-Hernandez, 24, of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin. The crime is alleged to have occurred Feb. 27, 2019, in Thomas County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than five years and a fine up to $5 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.

Uriel Ramirez-Chairez, 34, a citizen of Mexico who has been living in Wichita, is charged with one count of misusing a Social Security number, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found Nov. 13, 2018, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

          Misuse of a Social Security number: Up to five years and a fine up to $250,000.

          Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory two years (consecutive) and a fine up to $250,000.

          Aggravated illegal re-entry: Up to 20 years and a fine up to $250,000.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith is prosecuting.

Pablo Constantino-Zavala, 49, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found Dec. 24, 2014, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces up to two years and a fine up to $250,000. Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith is prosecuting.

Richard Todd Heffelman, 44, is charged with escaping from federal custody at Mirror, Inc. Halfway House in Wichita. The crime is alleged to have occurred Feb. 3, 2019.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Marshals Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith is prosecuting.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.