Mexican Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking Crimes

Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Fidel Cardenas-Alvarez, 46, of Michoacan, Mexico, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, by Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine, using a communication facility in the conspiracy, and for possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.  Cardenas-Alvarez received a sentence of 144 months’ imprisonment with a five-year term of supervised release to follow.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Cardenas-Alvarez will be deported by U.S. immigration authorities when he completes his sentence of imprisonment.

Beginning in December 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated an operation, which targeted a known Mexican-based Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) operating in the Omaha area.  This investigation included a court authorized wiretap interception of phone calls and text messages, allowing agents to identify the scope of the conspiracy and its members.  Cardenas-Alvarez was identified as a member of the DTO and was intercepted numerous times over the phone discussing drug transactions with co-conspirators.  The investigation involving Cardenas-Alvarez ended on February 24, 2021, when agents executed a search warrant on Cardenas-Alvarez’s apartment and seized 21.14 pounds of methamphetamine.

Other members of the DTO that have been indicted include Tomas Lorenzo-Cruz, who is scheduled for jury trial on January 30, 2023, before Chief Judge Rossiter. Darald Sandman and Teresa Forbes have pled guilty to the conspiracy and will both be sentenced on March 3, 2023, before Chief Judge Rossiter.

This effort was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case was investigated by the Omaha Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Omaha Police Department.