DECEMBER 2023:
Aan Arvin, California, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl, Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, and Use of a Communication Facility in the Commission of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
Victor Leon-Pacheco, 33, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The federal sentence runs consecutive to his remaining sentence in Oklahoma.
Leon-Pacheco was indicted for the charges by a federal grand jury in June of 2022. He was found guilty after a three-day federal jury trial concluding on September 7, 2023.
Leon-Pacheco is formerly from California. In 2016 he was convicted of trafficking methamphetamine in Oklahoma and sentenced to 18 years custody. While in a locked facility, he gained access to a contraband cell phone which he utilized to conduct drug trafficking activities. He arranged drug sales to people in several states, including South Dakota. Leon-Pacheco then recruited others in California, including co-defendant Eduardo Acosta, to accept payments for drug proceeds that were wired through money exchange services. This occurred multiple times between September of 2021 and January of 2022. Acosta also sent packages containing controlled substances to South Dakota at the direction of Leon-Pacheco. Law enforcement was able to introduce an undercover agent to whom Leon-Pacheco organized three shipments of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Leon-Pacheco’s co-defendant, Eduardo Acosta, was sentenced to 37 months in custody on August 11, 2023.
“This trial conviction and resulting sentence should send a clear message to out-of-state drug traffickers who think they can get away with distributing lethal drugs in South Dakota,” said Alison J. Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota. “I am grateful to the many investigative agencies who participated in this case through the local Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team and worked collaboratively to ensure Victor Leon-Pacheco remains in custody for another thirty years.”
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, which is a local drug task force comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard, as well as the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Drug
Enforcement Administration, and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
SEPTEMBER 2023:
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Victor Alfonso Leon-Pacheco, age 33, of Bakersfield, California, of Conspiracy to Distribute (fentanyl), Conspiracy to Distribute (methamphetamine), and Use of a Communications Facility to Facilitate a Drug Trafficking Crime, following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in custody and/or a $10,000,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Leon-Pacheco was indicted by a federal grand jury in June of 2022. Since 2016, Leon-Pacheco was in custody in Oklahoma. He obtained a contraband cell phone and used the phone to operate a drug trafficking organization across the United States. Leon-Pacheco arranged for family and friends in California to send packages of drugs to various places, including western South Dakota, through the US Postal Service. Those people also received money wire transfers and cash on behalf of the defendant. The methamphetamine and fentanyl were then further distributed by people in the area. Law enforcement was able to introduce an undercover agent, who communicated with the defendant by an encrypted application over the course of several months. The defendant sent approximately 6,000 fentanyl pills and 10 pounds of methamphetamine to law enforcement. During a search of his cell by Oklahoma officials, the contraband phone was located. A co-conspirator, Eduardo Acosta, has already pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 36 months custody.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date will be set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
AUGUST 2023:
United States District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Arvin, California, man convicted of Use of a Communication Facility in the Commission of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
Eduardo Acosta, 24, was sentenced to 37 months custody in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Acosta resides in California. His acquaintance, Victor Alfonso Leon-Pacheco, was in custody in Oklahoma. Acosta accepted payments for drug proceeds that were wired through money exchange services. This occurred multiple times between September 2021 and January 2022. Acosta also sent packages containing controlled substances to South Dakota at the direction of Leon-Pacheco. Acosta and Leon Pacheco utilized cell phones to communicate, which are also considered to be communication facilities.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, which is local drug task force comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Acosta will report to the Bureau of Prisons in September.
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