Two men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a massive fentanyl trafficking operation in western Oklahoma. On April 10, 2017, Jose Avigail Grijalva, 26, of Tucson, Arizona, and Raymend Lee Scott, Jr., 39, of Roswell, Georgia, were stopped by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol for a traffic violation on Interstate 40 in western Oklahoma. A drug dog alerted to the back bumper, and a search of the vehicle revealed 4.5 pounds of fentanyl and over 7 pounds of cocaine hidden in the spare tire.
According to court documents, Grijalva and Scott were charged with aggravated drug trafficking in Caddo County the next day. A federal grand jury indicted the pair on May 18, 2017, on one count of conspiracy and one count of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute. After testing revealed the presence of fentanyl, the grand jury returned a two-count superseding indictment on June 20, 2017.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is typically prescribed in amounts less than a milligram. In 2017, synthetic opioids other than methadone—a category dominated by fentanyl—were responsible for more than 29,000 of approximately 72,000 overdose deaths in the United States, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that 4.5 pounds of fentanyl, if pure, could kill as many as one million people.
Grijalva pleaded guilty to possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute on November 21, 2017. Scott pleaded guilty to a superseding information that charged him with conspiring to traffic fentanyl and cocaine on February 27, 2018.
On September 6, 2018, Chief U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton sentenced Grijalva to 120 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Today, Judge Heaton sentenced Scott to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release. Both men have been in state or federal custody since their arrest in April 2017.
The case is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, with assistance from the District Attorney for Caddo, Grady, Jefferson, and Stephens Counties. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David McCrary and Jacquelyn M. Hutzell.
Defendant: Jose Avigail Grijalva and Raymend Lee Scott, Jr.
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy, Possession of Controlled Substances with Intent to Distribute
City and State: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Date: April 10, 2017 (arrest), September 6, 2018 (sentencing)
Sentence: Grijalva: 120 months in prison, Scott: seven years in prison
Key Facts
- State: Oklahoma
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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