Fulgencio Cardenas-Rivera, a 35-year old Mexican national, has been sentenced to a term of five years in prison followed by four years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to federal drug trafficking charges, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Cardenas-Rivera was also subject to a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, according to the announcement made by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
The conviction stems from an incident where Cardenas-Rivera was caught transporting approximately three kilograms of cocaine in the trunk of his car into the Eastern District of Louisiana; his intentions were to distribute the narcotics, a direct violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B). U.S. District Judge Brandon S. Long handed down the sentence on July 22, aligning with the justice system's ongoing efforts to clamp down on high-level drug traffickers and their expansive, and often insidious networks.
The case against Cardenas-Rivera was part of a larger Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, which operates on a multi-agency level combining federal, state, and local law enforcement to target and dismantle the upper echelons of drug trafficking, money laundering, and transnational criminal enterprises deemed a threat to national security. The Drug Enforcement Administration – New Orleans Field Division Office spearheaded the inquiry with assistance from an array of law enforcement agencies including the Louisiana State Police, United States Border Patrol, the Kenner Police Department, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit handled the prosecution.
