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Press Release

Former Federal Inmate Sentenced for Attempting to Possess Heroin in Prison

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Louisiana
 

ALEXANDRIA, La.: United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell sentenced former federal inmate Jose Rueperto Alaniz, 39, of Wichita Falls, Texas, to 24 months in prison with three years supervised release and Diana Castillo, 31, also of Wichita Falls, Texas, to three months in prison with three years supervised release for attempting to smuggle heroin into the U.S. Penitentiary in Pollock. The sentence was handed down yesterday in federal court in Alexandria.

Investigation of the case revealed that Castillo visited Alaniz on May 22, 2010, in the Pollock Penitentiary visiting room. Prison officials observed Alaniz remove something from Catillo’s waistband. They then saw Alaniz place the object in his own jumpsuit. A search of Alaniz later revealed two small packages of approximately 74.8 grams of black tar heroin.

At the time, Alaniz was in prison for violating supervised release relating to a distribution of cocaine charge and left the prison Sept. 29, 2010 after completing time served for that offense. He will now return to federal prison to serve time for the contraband charge.

The FBI, Alexandria, Louisiana Resident Agency conducted the investigation. Senior Litigation Counsel Joseph G. Jarzabek and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. France prosecuted the case.

Updated May 17, 2017

Topic
Drug Trafficking