Charles Kirby, Heroin Trafficking, Indiana 2019

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Charles Kirby, 45, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a heroin trafficking conspiracy. According to court documents, Kirby and his co-conspirators, Elias Parada-Borquez, Javier Lopez-Juarez, and Denice Cardenas, engaged in a drug conspiracy to distribute 2,354 grams of a heroin-fentanyl mixture in Indianapolis between April 1, 2019, and May 13, 2019.

The heroin-fentanyl mixture, which is a highly dangerous and deadly combination, was picked up by Parada-Borquez, Lopez-Juarez, and Cardenas in San Bernardino, California, and was intended to be delivered to Kirby in Indianapolis. The three individuals were to wait in Indianapolis until Kirby sold the drugs before returning to California and collecting the trafficking proceeds for the Mexican-based source of supply.

On May 13, 2019, law enforcement officers initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Lopez-Juarez on I-70 in Foristell, Missouri. A K-9 officer approached the vehicle and indicated the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. The vehicle and its occupants were transported to a secure tow lot and the vehicle was searched. When the rear spare tire on the vehicle was removed, three individually wrapped packages later determined to be a heroin-fentanyl mixture were found.

The jury acquitted Kirby of a charge of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense. However, Kirby was found in possession of a loaded Glock .45 handgun at the time of his arrest.

Parada-Borquez, Lopez-Juarez, and Cardenas all pleaded guilty to their participation in the heroin trafficking conspiracy and received the following sentences: Elias Parada-Borquez, 42, of Mexico, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release on September 29, 2022; Javier Lopez-Juarez, 24, of San Bernardino, California, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release on November 17, 2020; and Denice Cardenas, 40, of San Bernardino, California, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release on September 26, 2022.

The investigation was led by the DEA Indianapolis Field Office in conjunction with the DEA St. Louis Field Office. The St. Charles County Police Department in Missouri provided valuable assistance. U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson imposed the sentence, which includes five years of supervised release following Kirby’s release from federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lawrence D. Hilton and M. Kendra Klump for their work on the case, which is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence in neighborhoods across the country.