PHOENIX, AZ – A Mexican pharmacy worker is headed to federal prison after admitting to running a cross-border oxycodone distribution network. Ma de Lourdes Casas-Franco, 45, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced this week to 36 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan. The sentence stems from her guilty plea to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and conspiracy to launder money.
Grimy Times has learned that Casas-Franco worked at Sonora’s Desert Pharmacy from June 2010 through July 2011. During that time, she wasn’t dispensing medication to those in legitimate need – she was actively facilitating the illegal flow of highly addictive oxycodone pills into the United States. The operation involved arranging deliveries of the Schedule II controlled substance to customers north of the border.
But Casas-Franco didn’t just handle the drugs. She also meticulously managed the finances, ensuring she got paid. Court documents reveal she directed payments – part deposited into a U.S. bank account in her name, and the rest diverted to another individual’s account. On at least one occasion, a single order exceeded $10,000, demonstrating the scale of her illicit enterprise.
Federal investigators, working through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, meticulously pieced together the evidence. Agencies involved included the Mesa Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation led the probe, exposing the full extent of the operation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen McDonald and Maria Gutierrez, of the District of Arizona, Phoenix, successfully prosecuted the case, securing the conviction and subsequent sentencing. The case number is CR-16-00763-PHX-SPL, and the release number is 2017-034_Casas-Franco.
This conviction sends a clear message: those who profit from fueling the opioid crisis will face the full weight of federal law. While three years is a start, it barely scratches the surface of the damage caused by the relentless trafficking of dangerous drugs like oxycodone. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest updates. More information can be found at http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/.
RELATED: Lilian Jakacki Gets 4 Years for Oxycodone Scheme
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Key Facts
- State: Arizona
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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