Luis Angel Rios, a business owner from DeForest, Wisconsin, received a nine-year federal prison sentence for his involvement in cocaine trafficking. The sentence was handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson. Rios pled guilty to the charges on January 10, 2025.
The investigation into the cocaine trafficking organization started in late 2022, conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It revealed that Rios was a key player in obtaining and distributing kilograms of cocaine in Dane County, often working with another local trafficker to maintain a continuous drug supply. This ultimately led to the interception of a half-kilogram cocaine delivery on June 1, 2023.
Rios owned a cleaning and maintenance business in DeForest. During the sentencing, Judge Peterson acknowledged Rios' reputation as a "hard-working family man" with no prior criminal record but noted that Rios had used his skills to facilitate cocaine distribution. The court concluded that Rios had trafficked over 15 kilograms of cocaine in the community, exacerbating addiction issues and contributing to crime.
Braulio Martinez Salazar, Rios’s co-defendant, was sentenced earlier on March 11, 2025, to a three-year prison term for his involvement in the drug operation.
This case resulted from a collaborative investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Dane County Narcotics Task Force, and Madison Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Anderson and William M. Levins.
Funding and coordination for the investigation were provided by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a multi-agency initiative targeting narcotic trafficking.
