A Mexican national has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for trafficking nearly a quarter of a million dollars’ worth of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox.
On June 12, 2020, Roberto Rodriguez-Salinas, 39, of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to two 57 month sentences that will run concurrently for conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
According to court documents, on March 28, 2018, Mr. Rodriguez-Salinas transferred a black bag containing United States currency to another person that knew his money was drug proceeds. Mr. Rodriguez-Salinas admitted that he intended the money to be transferred from the United States to individuals in Mexico.
Court documents further reflect that on March 30, 2018, Mr. Rodriguez-Salinas was stopped by the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, deputies found Mr. Rodriguez-Salinas in possession of approximately eight kilograms of cocaine, a firearm, and $115,931. Mr. Rodriguez-Salinas admitted that the money seized by authorizes was derived from the sale and distribution of the cocaine.
According to agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the cocaine found in Mr. Rodriguez-Salinas vehicle had a street value ranging from $192,000 to $208,000 in the Dallas, Texas area.
Fourteen individuals have been indicted in this case. Two defendants are fugitives and one defendant is pending trial. Co-defendant, Marcus Morones, was previously sentenced to a term of 41 months confinement in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Dallas Police Department. Assistance in this case was also provided by the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Leal and Rachel Jones are prosecuting the case.
The case was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
