Adan Cuevas-Arteaga, Cocaine Distribution, Delaware 2024

A Newark man has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for his role in a cocaine distribution ring in Delaware.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Hall handed down the sentence to Adan Cuevas-Arteaga, 44, who had been previously deported to Mexico on five separate occasions between 2007 and 2019.

Cuevas-Arteaga was arrested after a search of his residence and car revealed cocaine, digital scales, drug packaging material, $7,400 in cash, and two rounds of nine-millimeter ammunition.

According to prosecutors, Cuevas-Arteaga had illegally returned to the United States and was selling cocaine when he was caught.

“The defendant demonstrated a blatant disregard for our nation’s laws by repeatedly entering the United States unlawfully, and, once here, profiting from the distribution of illegal narcotics,” said U.S. Attorney Benjamin L. Wallace.

“My office will continue working alongside our law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute drug dealers, especially those who have no legal right to be in the United States in the first place,” Wallace added.

The FBI’s Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Task Force investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Ibrahim prosecuted the case.

Cuevas-Arteaga was sentenced on [Date] in Wilmington, Delaware, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and illegal reentry into the United States after removal.

Cuevas-Arteaga’s previous deportations date back to 2007, and he had been deported a total of five times before his most recent removal.

“The distribution of illegal narcotics continues to plague our communities,” said Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul. “Adan Cuevas-Arteaga profited from trafficking cocaine while disregarding our immigration laws needed for public safety. Today’s charges serve as a reminder that the FBI, through the Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Task Force, will continue to target these offenders and the adverse impact they are having on our communities,” Paul added.

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