FULGENCIO CARDENAS-RIVERA, a 35-year-old Mexican national, was sentenced to five years in prison and four years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine. The sentence, which also includes a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, was handed down by U.S. District Judge Brandon S. Long on July 22, 2025.
According to court documents, Cardenas-Rivera entered the Eastern District of Louisiana with about three kilograms of cocaine hidden in his car’s trunk. Authorities said he intended to distribute the drugs.
"This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks," according to Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Orleans Field Division Office and supported by several agencies including the Louisiana State Police, United States Border Patrol, Kenner Police Department, and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman from the Narcotics Unit prosecuted the case.
