Fairmont City Man Sentenced For Role In Cocaine Conspiracy

A Fairmont City man who pled guilty on March 29, 2013, in federal court to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine for being a member of a large cocaine distribution organization, was sentenced to prison on July 3, 2013, the United States for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Antonio O. Escobar, 27, was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release. Escobar was also ordered to pay a fine of $500 and a special assessment of $200.

To date, twenty-eight other members of the organization have been convicted and sentenced. One individual who was indicted at the same time as Escobar has entered a plea of guilty and is awaiting sentencing, which is currently scheduled for July 19, 2013.

Evidence in support of the indictment was obtained in an investigation which was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF initiative is designed to bring federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and resources together to identify, target and dismantle large national and international drug trafficking organizations. Participating agencies include the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Marshal Service, the Granite City Police Department, Fairmont City Police Department, Collinsville Police Department, Fairview Heights Police Department, Caseyville Police Department, Pontoon Beach Police Department, Park Hills (Missouri) Police Department, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, and the Illinois State Police. This case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Randy G. Massey.