Antonio Cuevas-Navarro, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Florida 2012

Tampa, Florida – In a shocking turn of events, Antonio Cuevas-Navarro, a 47-year-old man from Sacramento, California, pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Cuevas-Navarro faces a mandatory minimum term of ten years’ imprisonment, up to a maximum penalty of life. This devastating verdict comes after a lengthy investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

The case against Cuevas-Navarro began in February 2012, when he attempted to have 12 pounds of methamphetamine smuggled from Jonesboro, Arkansas to Pasco County, Florida. On February 22, 2012, two co-conspirators working on Cuevas-Navarro’s behalf drove from Pasco County to Jonesboro to retrieve the drugs.

The following day, during a traffic stop in Arkansas, law enforcement agents intercepted the drugs from five of Cuevas-Navarro’s co-conspirators. The drugs were valued at approximately $100,000.

On April 5, 2012, DEA agents seized seven pounds of methamphetamine in Pasco County from three of Cuevas-Navarro’s co-conspirators. The drugs had previously been shipped to Pasco County by Cuevas-Navarro. In June 2012, Cuevas-Navarro sent Jose Angel Carrillo, Jr. from California to Pasco County to retrieve money from the drug sales.

Carrillo then picked up $3,500 in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Pasco County, which represented a partial payment owed for one pound of methamphetamine. This brazen act of drug trafficking has sent shockwaves throughout the community, leaving many to wonder how such a large operation was able to evade law enforcement for so long.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher F. Murray, who stated, ‘We are committed to dismantling and disrupting the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.’

The case against Cuevas-Navarro is a prime example of the ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, which has already led to the conviction of nine other individuals involved in the operation.

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