Fernando Canales-Mendoza, a 52-year-old Mexican citizen living in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, has been sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking operation in Northwest Arkansas.
According to court documents, Canales-Mendoza was originally indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2014 and found guilty in February 2015 following a two-day jury trial. The Honorable Robert T. Dawson presided over both the trial and the sentencing in the United States District Court in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge commented on the sentence, stating, ‘With this sentence, another positive step has been taken to assure that the families, especially children, in Carroll County can live in a community free of illegal drug trafficking and the violence and other crime that comes with it.’ Eldridge assured that his office would continue to aggressively prosecute those responsible for bringing methamphetamine and other drugs into the Western District of Arkansas.
As part of an ongoing investigation, an undercover agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) purchased one ounce of methamphetamine from Canales-Mendoza in his home in exchange for $1,400.00 on April 30, 2014. The undercover agent was provided an additional ounce to be paid for at a later time. On May 7, 2014, the undercover agent paid Canales-Mendoza $1,500.00 for that ounce and purchased an additional ounce of methamphetamine for $1,400.00.
On August 27, 2014, the undercover agent met with Canales-Mendoza again and requested an additional four ounces of methamphetamine. The defendant then showed the undercover agent approximately three to three and a half ounces of methamphetamine he did have, which prompted the agent to respond that he would leave in order to get additional funds to purchase the methamphetamine. Once the agent left the meeting with Canales-Mendoza, DEA agents executed an arrest warrant on him and a search warrant on his place of business, where they confiscated approximately 137 grams of methamphetamine.
The investigation into Canales-Mendoza’s methamphetamine trafficking operation was a collaborative effort between the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Brandon Carter and Sydney Butler prosecuted the case for the United States.
Those interested in viewing related court documents may do so on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov.
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Key Facts
- State: Arkansas
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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