The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 38-year-old Fresno, California resident pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karoline Mehalchick in Wilkes-Barre, to possession with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the defendant, Livier Cantor-Huizar, admitted to transporting 23 kilograms of heroin, with a street value of more than $1 million, from California to the Mt. Pocono area of Monroe County in July 2014.
Cantor-Huizar and three other suspects were indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2014, as a result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police.
Judge Mehalchick ordered a pre-sentence investigation report to be completed. Cantor-Huizar will be sentenced by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Richard P. Conaboy at a future date.
Cantor-Huizar faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a possible maximum sentence of life in prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
