Ismail J. Ramsey, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California
Erlan Eduardo Cruz-Acosta, a Honduran national, has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States and offenses related to controlled substances. The sentence was handed down by Senior U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick.
Cruz-Acosta, aged 41, faced charges from federal grand juries in March 2022 and February 2024. He entered a guilty plea on November 7, 2024, to charges of illegal reentry following removal, distribution of methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
His criminal history includes a conviction in Fairfax County, Virginia in 2006 for taking indecent liberties with a child, resulting in a two-year prison sentence. After violating probation by absconding, he received an additional three-month sentence. Following his deportation from the U.S. in 2008, Cruz-Acosta illegally returned that same year and faced subsequent convictions for selling controlled substances and illegal reentry.
After multiple deportations between 2008 and 2016, Cruz-Acosta was found again in the United States as of June 22, 2021. In November 2023, he admitted to distributing methamphetamine and possessing various drugs including fentanyl in San Francisco's Tenderloin district.
The sentencing announcement was made by United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian alongside DEA Special Agent Bob P. Beris and ICE Field Office Director Sergio Albarran.
Judge Orrick also imposed a three-year supervised release period post-incarceration for Cruz-Acosta and ordered the forfeiture of $358 in currency along with other items linked to his offenses. He was taken into custody immediately after sentencing.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Chen and Eli J. Cohen along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Alethea Sargent. The investigation involved efforts from both the DEA and ICE.
