PENSACOLA, FLORIDA - Javier E. Rivas, 35, of San Francisco, was sentenced in a Pensacola federal courtroom today for conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine. Senior United States District Judge Roger Vinson sentenced Rivas to 25 years’ imprisonment and 10 years of supervision upon release. The sentence was announced today by Pamela C. Marsh, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Between January and October 2013, Rivas furnished multi-ounce quantities of high purity methamphetamine, known as “ice" and “crystal meth," to a California drug supplier, who, in turn, mailed the drugs to local distributors in the Pensacola area. In September 2014, Rivas pled guilty to a one-count indictment charging him with conspiracy.
Rivas is the sixth defendant charged and convicted as part of a continuing investigation into the large-scale importation of crystal methamphetamine from Mexico to Northern California and Pensacola, Florida. Local members of the organization include Bryan Gaston, Mark Jergenson, Victor Pinckard, and William Thomas. All of the defendants have been sentenced to federal prison.
United States Attorney Marsh praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Pensacola Police Department, and the State Attorney’s Office for the 1st Judicial Circuit, whose joint investigation led to the indictments in this case.
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is proud to join a multi-agency law enforcement investigation to combat drug trafficking in our communities," said United States Attorney Marsh. “Together, we are saving lives and protecting the district, state, and nation from the threat of deadly drugs."
“Trafficking methamphetamine is a serious offense that destroys lives and wreaks havoc on entire communities," said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge at HSI Tampa. “HSI, together with its federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, is committed to using every resource and authority at its disposal to combat the menace posed by this dangerous drug."
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. The office strives to protect and serve the citizens of the Northern District of Florida through the ethical, vigorous, and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States, to defend the national security, to improve the safety and quality of life in our communities through the protection of civil rights, and to protect the public funds and financial assets of the United States. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
