Forty-three people suspected of connections to a Mexican drug cartel were charged by the federal government with racketeering, the Justice Department recently announced.
The arrests are part of a growing trend on this side of the border: Americans facing long prison sentences related to charges of illegal collaborations with Mexican drug smuggling organizations.
One of those indicted in this recent case is a Baja, California official who allegedly used his federal government position to interfere with rivals of the Mexican operations of the Arellano Felix drug cartel.
Defendants in this wide-ranging case face a variety of charges including drug-trafficking, firearms violations, kidnapping and murder, according to the U.S. attorney's office in San Diego.
California and Beyond
The Mexican cartel connections extend far beyond California, of course. In Atlanta, a commercial trucker was recently convicted of hauling marijuana in his vehicle for the Mexican drug cartel La Familia.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the man had dropped the drugs off a residence used by the cartel as an off-loading site.
For hauling the 900 pounds of marijuana, and conspiring to transport the illegal cargo, he faces a prison sentence ranging from five years to 40 years.
Two other men were charged: one with possession with the intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana and the other with drug-related and money-laundering conspiracy charges.
Harsh Federal Drug Conviction Penalties
Penalties for convictions of federal drug trafficking charges are severe. Here are just a couple of examples of the extreme penalties the government can impose:
- First offense for trafficking cocaine (500 to 4999 grams), fentanyl (40 to 399 grams), methamphetamine (5 to 49 grams pure, or 50 to 499 grams mixture): not less than five years and not more than 40 years.
- Second offense for trafficking marijuana: (1,000 kg or more mixture; or 1,000 or more plants) not less than 20 years and not more than life.
Invoke Your Right to Remain Silent
Anyone facing these kinds of prison sentences should understand the first rule of mounting a successful defense: do not talk to law enforcement officials. Don't say anything (except to say you won't speak without an attorney present) and don't agree to anything.
Allow your criminal defense attorneys to speak to prosecutors and police for you. Criminal defense lawyers can often find weak spots in search and seizure procedures and other aspects of police work that give clients leverage and get charges reduced from felonies to misdemeanors or even dropped entirely.
