ATLANTA - Blas Aleman has been sentenced to 17 years, 11 months in federal prison after being convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine. Aleman participated in the drug conspiracy in 2008, and after that time was believed to be on the run in Mexico. In March 2016, following his apprehension in Mexico, Aleman was extradited to the United States to face the federal drug trafficking charge.
“We will pursue international drug traffickers who distribute their illegal narcotics in this country and take refuge outside of the United States," said U. S. Attorney John Horn. “Thanks to the diligence of our federal and state law enforcement partners, this drug trafficker has been brought to justice after spending almost eight years as a fugitive."
Daniel R. Salter, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division stated, “This cocaine trafficker eluded justice and ran to what he considered a place of refuge (Mexico). With patience, investigative skill and relentless pursuit, this fugitive was captured. This is a shining example of how DEA and its law enforcement partners will work tirelessly to pursue the far stretching tentacles of drug traffickers who seek to run from justice."
“This is yet another case where federal law enforcement was and will continue to be relentless in finding those who cause drugs to be brought into our neighborhoods," said Beverly Harvard, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Georgia.
According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: In or around early 2008, in Marietta, Georgia, Aleman met with, and recruited, an individual to become a courier for his drug trafficking organization. Aleman then purchased a car in Smyrna, Georgia, and had it registered and insured in the courier’s name. In early May 2008, Aleman traveled with the courier to Guerrero, Mexico, and oversaw the delivery of the car to his fellow drug traffickers.
While in Mexico, Aleman was responsible for hiding 11.8 kilograms of cocaine and 1.3 kilograms of methamphetamine inside of an after-market compartment installed in the vehicle. Aleman then returned the car to the courier at a hotel on the Mexican side of the U.S. border. Aleman ordered the courier to drive across the U.S. border and to deliver the drugs to Aleman’s conspirators in Atlanta, where the drugs would be further distributed. Although the courier crossed the U.S. border without being detected, he was stopped by a police officer in Mississippi for a traffic violation while traveling eastbound on Interstate 20. During a search of the car, law enforcement discovered the hidden compartment containing the drugs.
In June 2008, a grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia returned an indictment charging Aleman, the courier, and three other conspirators with drug conspiracy in relation to the narcotics seized from the car. The U.S. Marshals Service soon determined that Aleman was in rural Mexico and believed to be in hiding. After a multi-year effort by the U.S. Department of Justice, Aleman was extradited to the United States to face the federal drug charge in March 2016.
U.S. District Judge William S. Duffey, Jr. sentenced Blas Aleman, 38, of Guerrero, Mexico, to 17 years, 11 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. The Court also ordered that Aleman be deported from the United States once he completes his prison term. Aleman was found guilty by a jury on April 13, 2017, following a four-day trial.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor C. Wilmot prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
