Two California men, Margarito Morales-Alvarez and Jorge Armando Camacho-Sanchez, have been charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms of methamphetamine after a traffic stop on Interstate 44 in Missouri.
According to a federal criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., on Monday, June 11, 2018, Morales-Alvarez, 28, and Camacho-Sanchez, 38, a citizen of Mexico residing in California, were stopped by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper on Sunday, June 10, 2018, for suspicious behavior.
The trooper became suspicious because Morales-Alvarez and Camacho-Sanchez could not identify the specific city of their destination and the vehicle they were driving belonged to a third party, whom they had difficulty identifying. A canine deployed by the trooper indicated the presence of controlled substances in the vehicle, leading to a search of the vehicle.
During the search, the trooper found five cellophane-wrapped plastic bags, each containing approximately a kilogram of methamphetamine, in a large speaker box in the trunk of the 2015 Nissan Altima. Morales-Alvarez later told investigators that they were en route to Indiana to deliver the vehicle.
The charge against Morales-Alvarez and Camacho-Sanchez is an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. The evidence will be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jody M. Larison. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Morales-Alvarez and Camacho-Sanchez are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Jasper County, Mo., from June 8 to 10, 2018. If convicted, they face significant prison time and fines.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Cybercrime|Public Corruption|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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