Honduran National Sentenced to 3 Years for Meth, Fentanyl, and Reentry Crimes

SAN FRANCISCO – Erlan Eduardo Cruz-Acosta, a 41-year-old Honduran national, was sent to the slammer for 36 months for his role in a string of crimes including illegal reentry, methamphetamine distribution, and fentanyl possession, federal prosecutors announced today.

Senior U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick handed down the sentence after Cruz-Acosta pleaded guilty to one count each of illegal reentry following removal, distribution of methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. According to the plea agreement, Cruz-Acosta was convicted in 2006 of taking indecent liberties with a child in Fairfax County, Virginia, for which he was sentenced to two years in prison and later sentenced to three months for violating his probation by absconding.

In 2008, Cruz-Acosta was deported from the United States, but he returned that same year. In 2009, he was convicted in San Francisco Superior Court of selling a controlled substance and sentenced to 42 days in custody. He was also convicted in federal district court of illegal reentry following deportation and sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. Cruz-Acosta was deported a third time in June 2010, but he again illegally entered the United States in March 2014.

In 2014, Cruz-Acosta was convicted in federal district court in Arizona of illegal reentry of a removed alien and deported a third time. He reentered the United States in July 2016 and was found in the United States on or about June 22, 2021. Cruz-Acosta also admitted to distributing 7.8 gross grams of methamphetamine in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco in November 2023. He further admitted to possessing approximately 29.7 grams gross weight of a substance containing fentanyl, 26.4 grams gross weight of cocaine base, 8.9 grams gross weight of cocaine salt, and 4.9 grams gross weight of heroin, along with various denominations of U.S. currency, a digital scale, and a machete.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Orrick also sentenced Cruz-Acosta to a three-year period of supervised release and ordered him to forfeit $358 in U.S. currency, a digital scale, a machete, and a machete sheath. The defendant was immediately remanded into custody. The prosecution was led by Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Chen and Eli J. Cohen, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alethea Sargent, with the assistance of Alycee Lane.

The case was the result of investigations by the DEA and ICE. “This defendant’s long history of crime and disregard for the law is a stark reminder of the dangers of reentry and the importance of our ongoing efforts to combat the scourge of methamphetamine and fentanyl,” said United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian. “We will continue to work tirelessly to protect our communities and bring those responsible to justice.”

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