PHOENIX – A woman from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, has been sentenced to 36 months in prison for distributing oxycodone pills from Mexico to the United States, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona.
Ma de Lourdes Casas-Franco, 45, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and money laundering conspiracy.
According to the plea agreement, Casas-Franco worked at a Mexican pharmacy, Sonora’s Desert Pharmacy, from June 2010 through July 2011. On numerous occasions, she arranged to have oxycodone pills, a Schedule II controlled substance, delivered from the pharmacy in Mexico to a customer in the United States.
She also arranged to have part of the purchase price deposited into a bank account in her name maintained in a bank in the United States and part of the purchase price to be deposited into another’s bank account. On at least one occasion, the total value of the order was in excess of $10,000.
The investigation in this case was conducted by agencies participating in the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, which include, but are not limited to, the Mesa Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
The lead agencies were the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Karen McDonald and Maria Gutierrez, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
Casas-Franco was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan. The case number is CR-16-00763-PHX-SPL, and the release number is 2017-034.
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Related Federal Cases
- Rick Higgins, Oxycodone Distribution, Florida 2013 · Texas
- Veronica Dittman, Fentanyl Distribution, Tempe AZ, 2023 · Iowa
- Drug Dealer Sentenced to 8 Years for Fentanyl Distribution, Yamhill… · Washington
- Bonnie L. Chapman, Marijuana Distribution Scheme, PA, 2023 · South Carolina
- Pedro Rafael Gonzalez-Zazueta, Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy, Ari… · Arizona
Key Facts
- State: Arizona
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug Trafficking