Wednesday, January 13, 2010

“Operation Shooting Star” Results in Three Dozen Prison Sentences

After convicting four defendants during two separate trials and accepting guilty pleas from 36 other defendants, United States District Judge Charles A. Pannell has imposed sentences on all but one defendant in the two-year prosecution resulting from the David G. Wilhelm OCDETF Strike Force’s investigation named “Operation Shooting Star.” The latest sentence, handed down January 12, was a 300-month federal prison sentence for JULIO CESAR AVALOS-CERPAS, 35, from Mexico, for his role as a leader of a distribution “cell.” The sentences that Judge Pannell imposed on the other defendants ranged from 16 months to life in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.

Acting United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates, “These 40 convictions show the results that are achieved when federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies work together to stem the flow of poison into this country and to stop the cross-border flow of cash to violent, greed-driven cartel members in Mexico.”

According to Acting United States Attorney Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: Between November 2006 and December 2007, members of a large, sophisticated cocaine trafficking organization linked to Mexican drug cartels used the metro Atlanta area as the transshipment point for more than 7,000 kilograms of cocaine.

Seized ledgers showed that during this period, organization members collected at least $193,129,208 in drug proceeds in the Atlanta area, transported those funds through the Southeastern United States, and smuggled them across the United States/Mexico border to pay cartel leaders in charge of operations. During the course of the investigation, agents intercepted telephone calls over approximately 53 telephones; searched at least 30 locations; and seized more than $10 million in cash, 383 kilograms of cocaine, and 30 firearms, including assault rifles, shotguns, and handguns with 30-round magazines.

Judge Pannell imposed the following sentences today and over the past 11 months:

DEFENDANT

AGE

PRISON TERM

SUPERVISED RELEASE

Manuel Magana-Sagrero

37

Life

10 years

Jose Magana-Zavala

34

384 months

10 years

Angel Haro-Perez

29

324 months

5 years

Kevin Jimenez-Castillo

35

324 months

5 years

Joaquin Suarez-Flores

30

304 months

5 years

Julio Cesar Avalos Cerpas

34

300 months

5 years

Julian Ortuna-Herrera

26

292 months

5 years

Jose Macias-Martinez

49

292 months

5 years

Jose Tapia-Corneso

41

288 months

5 years

Hector Vargas-Madrigal

47

262 months

10 years

J Jesus Torres-Ochoa

39

262 months

10 years

Jose Mendoza-Solorzano

23

235 months

5 years

Jose Jesus Espinoza Faria

25

248 months

5 years

Leopoldo Castanda-Herrera

42

248 months

5 years

Arturo Torres-Zaragoza

25

248 months

5 years

Francisco Vega-Santana

38

235 months

5 years

Salvador Gonzalez-Flores

22

216 months

5 years

Damian Lopez-Gonzalez

24

211 months

5 years

Mario Alberto Guerrero-Martinez

35

195 months

5 years

Marco Antonio Rodriguez-Magana

36

188 months

5 years

Aurelio Chavez Maldonado

25

188 months

5 years

Eneyda Romero-Molina

40

181 months

5 years

Jose Luis Benitez-Tornes

30

168 months

5 years

Ramiro Ochoa Penaloza

39

168 months

5 years

Alejandro Gutierrez-Beiza

30

151 months

5 years

Antero Pineda-Camacho

51

151 months

5 years

Jesus Garcia-Corona

27

149 months

5 years

Raul Amado Luna-Mejia

23

144 months

5 years

Alfonso Rodriguez Franco

49

144 months

5 years

Martin Magana-Bernal

37

121 months

5 years

Roberto Espinoza-Cerda

29

120 months

5 years

Nahu Barajas-Duarte

29

97 months

5 years

Juan Aguiar-Martinez

33

97 months

5 years

Felipe Santana

30

63 months

2 year

Victor Gonzalez-Flores

20

60 months

3 years

Fausto Villa-Mojica

51

48 months

1 year

Carlos Alberto Gutierrez

22

46 months

3 years

Abraham Mayor

27

27 months

3 years

Lorenzo Pineda-Ibarra

38

16 months

3 years



Defendants JUAN ANTONIO RAMOS-SANCHEZ, JORGE LUIS CORDERO-PENA, JOSE EMMANUEL GUADARRAMA, OPHELIA PINEDA, AND FNU LNU, a/k/a “LICENCIADO,” remain fugitives.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.com.

The agents who investigated this case are assigned to the David G. Wilhelm OCDETF Strike Force and are employed by the following law enforcement agencies: the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement; United States Marshals Service, Georgia Department of Corrections, Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, DeKalb County Police Department, Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles, and Fayette County Sheriff’s Office. Significant assistance in this case was provided by the Georgia State Patrol.

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