FULGENCIO CARDENAS-RIVERA, a 35-year-old Mexican national, has been sentenced to five years in prison following his guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. U.S. District Judge Brandon S. Long also ordered four years of supervised release and imposed a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. The sentencing was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
According to court records, CARDENAS-RIVERA entered the Eastern District of Louisiana transporting about three kilograms of cocaine hidden in the trunk of his vehicle, intending to distribute it.
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF focuses on identifying and dismantling significant drug trafficking and criminal organizations that pose threats within the United States through a collaborative approach involving multiple law enforcement agencies.
The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Orleans Field Division Office, with assistance from the Louisiana State Police, United States Border Patrol, Kenner Police Department, and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman from the Narcotics Unit prosecuted the case.
“This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.”
