A Tucson man has been handed a 14-year prison sentence for his role in a fentanyl and methamphetamine distribution operation. Dennis Francis Kaleohano Kelly, 45, pleaded guilty to an array of charges including Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and Methamphetamine, and International Money Laundering, as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The charges stem from activity between November 2020 and August 2021 during which, Kelly orchestrated the distribution of substantial quantities of narcotics, often sending packages of methamphetamine to Hawaii and New Mexico. These locales served as distribution points for the wider network, Kelly supervised. Money from the sales was then wired back to suppliers in Mexico, court documents revealed.
Kelly's arrest came in August 2021 following the interception of a drug courier carrying approximately 10,000 fentanyl pills. This conclusion wasn't just the work of one agency, it was part of a concerted effort under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force operation, a collaboration designed to disrupt and dismantle significant criminal organizations through a multi-agency, intelligence-driven initiative.
Contributions to the extensive investigation came from multiple agencies including Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with Assistant United States Attorneys Ashley Culver, and David Petermann leading the prosecution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office statement.
