Eddie Ray Rios Sentenced to 15 Years for Methamphetamine Traffickin…

Eddie Ray Rios, 58, of Sacramento, California, was hit with a 15-year federal prison sentence on October 19, 2016, for trafficking methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana—while armed. Rios was nailed by federal authorities after a bust in Rawlins, Wyoming, where he was caught with drugs and a loaded firearm, underscoring the violent edge of drug distribution in the region.

Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl handed down the 180-month sentence, followed by five years of supervised release. Rios must also pay a $200.00 special assessment and $1,000.00 in restitution. The case was built by investigators from the Rawlins Police Department and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, who emphasized the danger posed by armed drug traffickers moving through interstate corridors.

On the same day, Joseph Dustin Buchanan, 25, of Mills, Wyoming, was sentenced to 108 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and using firearms during the crime. Arrested in Casper, Buchanan faces three years of supervised release post-sentence and must pay $200.00 in special assessments and $250.00 in restitution. The investigation involved the Wyoming Highway Patrol, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Earlier that week, William Arthur Curran, II, 32, of Lander, Wyoming, was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison for kidnapping and unlawful confinement after an incident in Fort Washakie. Judge Alan B. Johnson ordered three years of supervised release, a $100.00 special assessment, and a $400.00 fine. The FBI led the investigation, highlighting federal involvement in violent personal crimes even in rural jurisdictions.

Anissa Rene Maldonado, 24, of Porterville, California, was sentenced on the same day as Curran for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Arrested in Cheyenne, Maldonado received 46 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $100.00 in special assessments and $500.00 in restitution. The Cheyenne Police Department handled the investigation, underscoring local enforcement’s role in intercepting drug couriers.

Brad Calvin Titchener, 49, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, also known as Brad Calvin Titchner, was sentenced on October 17 to six months in prison and six months of home confinement for being a drug user in possession of a firearm and possessing equipment used to manufacture controlled substances. Chief Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal imposed two years of supervised release and a $200.00 special assessment. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the probe, targeting underground drug operations in the state’s capital city.