A brazen heroin trafficking operation in northern Virginia has been brought to a screeching halt after a Mexican national pleaded guilty to participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy.
Gilberto Paz Madrid, 33, a citizen of Mexico, traveled to northern Virginia in June 2018 with another citizen of Mexico to distribute controlled substances, including heroin, on behalf of co-conspirators located in Mexico, the Washington, D.C. area, and elsewhere.
According to court documents, Madrid and his co-conspirators paid thousands of dollars for what they believed were numerous bricks of illicit narcotics. However, law enforcement agents from Homeland Security Investigations interdicted and seized nearly nine kilograms of heroin following a successful operation.
The Virginia State Police attempted a traffic stop of a sport utility vehicle that Madrid was driving along the Capital Beltway. However, Madrid accelerated away from a law enforcement vehicle that activated its blue emergency lights. Madrid’s vehicle then collided into several cars and continued to flee from law enforcement until officers successfully contained the threat and arrested both individuals.
Madrid pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and attempted possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on January 4, 2019.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Virginia State Police as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:18-cr-317.
The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
Madrid’s actions demonstrate the brazen nature of heroin trafficking in our region. We will continue to work tirelessly to disrupt and dismantle these organizations and bring those responsible to justice.
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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