Fayetteville, Arkansas - Kenneth Elser, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Rosalio Laredo-Garcia, age 21 of Hutchins, Texas, was sentenced today to 57 months in federal prison followed by three (3) years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $1,900 fine on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Co-Defendant, Hado Zepeda-Garcia, age 25 of Wilmer, Texas was sentenced yesterday to 63 months in federal prison followed by three (3) years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $4,900 fine on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearings in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in February of 2016, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigators received information that Hado Zepeda-Garcia planned to travel from Wilmer, Texas, to the Western District of Arkansas with several pounds of methamphetamine. On February 6, 2016, agents conducting surveillance in the Western District of Arkansas observed Zepeda-Garcia and Laredo-Garcia driving northbound on Interstate 49 in Zepeda-Garcia’s vehicle. Once the vehicle pulled into the parking lot of a local business, agents with the DEA made contact with them. Hado Zepeda-Garcia consented to the search of his vehicle, and during the search, agents located 2,897 grams of methamphetamine packaged in three separate plastic tubs that were hidden inside of an air compressor.
After waiving their Miranda rights, both Zepeda-Garcia and Laredo-Garcia admitted to agents that they planned to distribute the methamphetamine found in the vehicle in the Western District of Arkansas. Both defendants were indicted on March 18, 2016 and both entered a guilty plea in July, 2016.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly D. Harris prosecuted the case for the United States.
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Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov