A massive cocaine distribution conspiracy has been dealt a significant blow with the sentencing of Juan A. Mexicano to 135 months in custody. The 33-year-old was convicted in federal court of maintaining a narcotics stash house in Illinois that was used to distribute cocaine from a Mexican-based trafficker.
Mexicano’s plea agreement admitted that he made arrangements to import cocaine through the Southern District of California and that he possessed weapons seized from a storage facility in Illinois. These weapons included two hand grenades; a grenade launcher; five .50 caliber weapons; one .22 handgun with a silencer; 26 other assault style weapons, including a submachine gun; more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition; and six ballistic vests.
During sentencing, Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel noted that the ‘catalog of armaments was capable of mass destruction’ and that these weapons ‘evidence[d] the danger to the community that this group of drug traffickers posed to the community in Illinois.’
Mexicano also admitted that the stash house near Chicago was used for the temporary storage of cocaine and acknowledged that up to approximately 150 kilograms (approximately 330 pounds) of cocaine was stored there. He is the fourth defendant to be sentenced in the case.
As part of his sentence, the court credited Mexicano with 15 months, for time served in state custody. He also faces sentencing on January 4, 2019, in connection with his separate guilty plea to charges in Kane County, Illinois (Case No. 17CF1720) related to the weapons stockpile.
U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman praised the efforts of law enforcement partners in removing these dangerous narcotics and weapons from communities and out of the hands of violent drug dealers. ‘We are committed to stopping the traffickers, whose sole aim is to profit from human misery.’
Mexicano’s role in the expanding cocaine distribution conspiracy extended from Guatemala and Mexico to San Diego and Chicago, with the involvement of multiple defendants. Other defendants who have entered guilty pleas in the federal case include Walter Rovidio Ipina, David Castaneda-Solis, Zachary Vasquez, and Jacob Castillo.
Mandatory facts include: Defendant Juan A. Mexicano, exact criminal charges of Cocaine Conspiracy, city and state of San Diego, California, exact date of December 14, 2018, and sentence of 135 months in custody.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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