Jorge Anaya-Valencia, a 48-year-old Mexican national from Guyamas, Sonora, was sentenced to 180 months in prison on September 23 for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Krissa M. Lanham.
Anaya-Valencia’s co-defendants, all of whom were also living illegally in the United States, have previously received their sentences in connection with the case. Jesus Manuel Soto Quihui was sentenced to five years, while Diego Nunez-Aispuri and Ivan Manuel Higuera Torres each received sentences of just under four years.
Court documents indicate that investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) identified Anaya-Valencia as a member of a drug trafficking group operating in Phoenix. On January 23, agents observed Higuera Torres arrive at a meeting with Anaya-Valencia in a red Ford F-150 pickup truck. After inspecting the back seat of the truck, Anaya-Valencia oversaw Nunez-Aispuro transferring two plastic containers and one cardboard box from the truck into the cargo area of a Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Soto Quihui.
Law enforcement arrested all four individuals after they left in separate vehicles. A search of the Chevrolet Tahoe revealed about 76 kilograms (167 pounds) of methamphetamine inside the containers and box. Authorities also found two firearms: one in Anaya-Valencia’s vehicle glove compartment and another on Soto Quihui.
Records show that Anaya-Valencia had been removed from the United States twelve times previously and had nine prior criminal immigration convictions. He also had a previous felony conviction for conspiracy to commit possession of dangerous drugs for sale. At the time of his arrest related to this case, he was already on supervised release and received an additional six-month prison term as part of those proceedings.
The DEA Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force HIDTA led the investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart J. Zander and Travis L. Wheeler from the District of Arizona.
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