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Press Release

Sentencings for February 5 - February 9, 2016

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

Kenneth J. Canero, 39, of Buffalo, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on February 9, 2016, for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Canero was arrested in Gillette, Wyoming. He received 60 months imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $200.00 fine and a $100.00 special assessment. This case results from an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) joint investigation conducted by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

Gabriel Tena-Bencomo, aka Gabriel Gutierrez, 29, of Mexico, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson on February 8, 2016, for illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien into the United States. Tena-Bencomo was arrested in Jackson, Wyoming. He received 13 months imprisonment, to be followed by two years of supervised release, was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment, and is subject to deportation upon release from custody. This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Josue Tzompa-Ramirez, 30, of Mexico, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson on February 8, 2016, for illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien into the United States. Tzompa-Ramirez was arrested in Jackson, Wyoming. He received 13 months imprisonment, to be followed by two years of supervised release, was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment, and is subject to deportation upon release from custody. This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Michael D. Backes, 39, of Gillette, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on February 5, 2016, for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Backes was arrested in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He received 120 months imprisonment, to be followed by five years of

supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $500.00 fine and a $100.00 special assessment. This case results from an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) joint investigation conducted by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

Updated February 11, 2016

Topics
Drug Trafficking
Immigration