Rafael Muniz-De La Mora, a 49-year-old Mexican national, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for his role in a large-scale drug trafficking operation in the Tri-Cities area of Washington.
On March 28, 2023, Senior United States District Judge Edward F. Shea handed down the sentence after Muniz-De La Mora pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Muniz-De La Mora was identified as the supplier of methamphetamine to Carlos Madrigal-Deniz, who was brokering pound quantity transactions for a drug trafficking organization operating in the Tri-Cities area.
Madrigal-Deniz made arrangements for a 10-pound delivery of methamphetamine from Muniz-De La Mora in September 2020. Muniz-De La Mora brought a four-year-old child to the transaction, who was wearing a Spider-Man backpack containing approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine.
The child was escorted by Muniz-De La Mora from one vehicle to another, and then entered a Chevy Cruze with Muniz-De La Mora and another co-defendant. The DEA Tri-Cities Task Force stopped the vehicle and recovered the backpack, which contained 10 pounds of methamphetamine supplied by Muniz-De La Mora.
‘Drug distribution continues to be a scourge in the Tri-Cities and elsewhere. It is particularly troubling that Mr. Muniz-De La Mora used a four-year-old child to conceal his distribution activities,’ said Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Muniz-De La Mora will also serve five years of federal supervision after he is released from federal custody.
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- Maurice Tutt, Fentanyl and Cocaine Trafficking, Washington 2026 · District of Columbia
Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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