Mexican National Sentenced to 12 Years for Meth Trafficking

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican national was sentenced in federal court today after being arrested at a local bus station carrying a duffel bag that contained more than six pounds of methamphetamine.

Jose Miguel Cabrera-Arteaga, 32, a lawful permanent resident married to a United States citizen residing in Ontario, Oregon, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to 12 years in federal prison without parole.

On June 7, 2018, Cabrera-Arteaga pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers with a police service canine were checking the luggage under a bus that had arrived from Los Angeles, Calif., at a Kansas City, Mo., bus station. Cabrera-Arteaga, who was watching the officers, got off the bus carrying a black duffel bag. The canine alerted to the odor of narcotics near the seat where Cabrera-Arteaga had been seated.

Officers interviewed Cabrera-Arteaga and searched his duffel bag, which contained six bundles of methamphetamine that weighed a total of approximately 6.3 pounds.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Kansas City Interdiction Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.