TX Drug Kingpin Sentenced to 57 Months

Fayetteville, Arkansas – In a stunning blow to the drug trade, Rosalio Laredo-Garcia, 21, and Hado Zepeda-Garcia, 25, both from Texas, were today locked away for a combined ten years in federal prison for their involvement in methamphetamine trafficking.

United States Attorney Kenneth Elser announced the sentence against Laredo-Garcia, who was handed down 57 months behind bars followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $1,900. His co-defendant, Zepeda-Garcia, was sentenced yesterday to 63 months in federal prison with three years of supervised release and a fine of $4,900.

According to court documents, the DEA had their eyes on Zepeda-Garcia since February 2016 when they received intel about his plans to transport pounds of meth from Texas to Arkansas. The DEA surveillance team caught the duo in action on February 6, 2016, as they drove northbound on I-49. A consent search revealed 2,897 grams of methamphetamine hidden inside an air compressor.

Both defendants waived their Miranda rights and confessed to the intent to distribute the drugs. They were indicted on March 18, 2016, and pleaded guilty in July. The DEA investigated the case, with Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly D. Harris leading the prosecution.

This sentence serves as a stark reminder of the lengths law enforcement will go to combat drug trafficking in our communities.

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