Four Members of Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Heroin Mixed with Fentanyl from California to Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS– Charles Kirby, 45, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after being convicted of heroin trafficking conspiracy and attempted possession with the intent to distribute heroin following a three-day federal jury trial in Indianapolis.

According to court documents, between April 1, 2019, and May 13, 2019, Kirby, and co-conspirators Elias Parada-Borquez, Javier Lopez-Juarez, and Denice Cardenas, engaged in a drug conspiracy to distribute 2,354 grams of a heroin-fentanyl mixture in Indianapolis. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), as little as 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance, and past usage. One kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people.

On May 13, 2019, law enforcement officers initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle for traffic violations on I-70 in Foristell, Missouri. The vehicle was being driven by Lopez-Juarez, and Cardenas and Parada-Borquez were passengers in the vehicle. A K-9 officer approached the vehicle and indicated the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. The vehicle and its occupants were transported to a secure tow lot and the vehicle was searched. When the rear spare tire on the vehicle was removed, three individually wrapped packages later determined to be a heroin-fentanyl mixture were found.

Law enforcement officers learned that Parada-Borquez, Lopez-Juarez and Cardenas had picked up the drugs in San Bernadino, California and were to deliver the heroin-fentanyl mixture to Kirby, who intended to sell the drugs in Indianapolis. Parada-Borquez, Lopez-Juarez and Cardenas were supposed to wait in Indianapolis until Kirby sold the drugs before returning to San Bernadino and then collect the drug trafficking proceeds for the Mexican-based source of supply.

A few weeks prior to the traffic stop in Missouri, Parada-Borquez, Lopez-Juarez, and Cardenas drove to Indianapolis to pick up a motorcycle and a Camaro from Kirby as collateral for a drug debt owed to the drug trafficking organization.

Further investigation led to the arrest of Kirby later that evening for his role in the drug trafficking organization. Kirby was found in possession of a loaded Glock .45 handgun at the time of his arrest.

The jury acquitted Kirby of a charge of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense.

Parada-Borquez, Lopez-Juarez and Cardenas all pleaded guilty to their participation in the heroin trafficking conspiracy and received the following sentences listed below.

Elias Parada-Borquez, 42, of Mexico, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release on September 29, 2022.

Javier Lopez-Juarez, 24, of San Bernadino, California, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release on November 17, 2020.

Denice Cardenas, 40, of San Bernadino, California, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release on September 26, 2022.

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Indianapolis Field Office, made the announcement.

The DEA Indianapolis Field Office investigated the case in conjunction with the DEA St. Louis Field Office. The St. Charles County Police Department in Missouri provided valuable assistance. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson. As part of the sentence, Judge Magnus-Stinson ordered that Kirby be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for five years following his release from federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lawrence D. Hilton and M. Kendra Klump who prosecuted this case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.