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Drug Kingpin Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison
Kansas City, MO – In a major blow to the city’s drug trade, Abel Miranda-Diaz, 48, was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison without parole for his role in a large-scale drug-trafficking conspiracy.
Miranda-Diaz, a Mexican national residing in Raymore, Mo., pleaded guilty on Sept. 21, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, five kilograms or more of cocaine, and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine from 2015 to March 18, 2020.
The investigation, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, resulted in the arrest of several co-defendants, including Christopher Aldana-Vergara, 33, who was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole on Jan. 26, 2022. Yanez-Sotelo was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison without parole on March 9, 2023, and Sergio Villegas-Sandoval, 44, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison without parole on Oct. 18, 2022.
Miranda-Diaz was found hiding under Aldana-Vergara’s residence, a trailer with an attached garage, on March 18, 2020. Agents searched the residence and found a large-scale methamphetamine conversion laboratory, including seven one-gallon containers containing a total of 31 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine, approximately 33 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, approximately two kilograms of heroin, drug ledgers, and a Mossberg sawed-off shotgun.
Miranda-Diaz admitted to investigators that he maintained stash houses in the Kansas City area for the purpose of storing methamphetamine and was paid for this service by a Mexican drug cartel. He described how he would unload shipments of methamphetamine, which were often hidden in compartments of car tires, the drive shafts of trucks, gas tanks, and car batteries.
Miranda-Diaz, who is in the country illegally after having been previously convicted and deported for illegally entering the United States, was the fourth and final defendant to be sentenced in this case.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Raskin and Patrick Edwards. The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations.
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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