Jose Ivan Mejia-Chavez, 28, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced to 120 months in prison on March 20, 2015, on an eleven-count indictment charging him with Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Illegal Re-Entry after Deportation, and Interstate Travel in Support of Racketeering, Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced. Mejia-Chavez had previously pled guilty to these charges on Nov. 18, 2014. Mejia-Chavez was also ordered to pay a $300 special assessment. An Order for forfeiture was entered in the amount of $35,738. A Judicial Order of Removal was also entered during the sentencing hearing today.
Evidence in support of this prosecution was obtained in an investigation which was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF initiative is designed to bring federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and resources together to identify, target and dismantle large national and international drug trafficking organizations. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Deirdre A. Durborow.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
