Jose Rueperto Alaniz, Heroin Possession, Louisiana 2010
Smuggler's Plot Foiled: Former Inmate Caught with 74.8 Grams of Heroin
A notorious smuggler has been brought to justice after attempting to possess a substantial amount of heroin in a Louisiana prison. On September 29, 2010, former federal inmate Jose Rueperto Alaniz, 39, was caught with two small packages of approximately 74.8 grams of black tar heroin in the U.S. Penitentiary in Pollock, Louisiana.
According to the investigation, Alaniz's accomplice, Diana Castillo, 31, visited him in the visiting room on May 22, 2010. Prison officials observed Alaniz remove something from Castillo's waistband and place it in his own jumpsuit. A search of Alaniz later revealed the heroin.
Alaniz was in prison for violating supervised release relating to a distribution of cocaine charge. He will now return to federal prison to serve time for the contraband charge. Castillo was also charged and sentenced to three months in prison with three years supervised release.
The FBI, Alexandria, Louisiana Resident Agency conducted the investigation. Senior Litigation Counsel Joseph G. Jarzabek and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. France prosecuted the case.
Judge Dee D. Drell handed down the sentence on September 29, 2010. Alaniz received a 24-month prison sentence with three years supervised release.
This case serves as a reminder of the ongoing efforts to combat heroin trafficking and smuggling in our prisons. The community can rest assured that those who attempt to bring contraband into our correctional facilities will face the full force of the law.
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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