Mexican National Trafficking Counterfeit Fentanyl Pills Sentenced to 12 Years

NEW BERN, N.C. - Christian Ricardo Arce-Cazares, a 36-year-old resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, illegally present in the United States has been sentenced to 150 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Nash County area. Arce-Cazares pled guilty on November 8, 2022.

"Drug traffickers make a mistake when they cross North Carolina state lines," said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. "This trio brought thousands of fentanyl pills to Rocky Mount, tried to flee from deputies, and ditched their ride in a Battleboro field. International traffickers should take note of this dozen year prison sentence. Nash County is a great place for business, but not your business."

According to the court documents and other information presented in court, in May of 2021 the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) received information from a confidential source that a large shipment of narcotics was to be delivered to the Eastern District of North Carolina organized by a Mexican drug trafficker. On June 10, 2021, an undercover officer spoke to the courier and coordinated a meeting at a gas station in Nashville, North Carolina. At that meeting DEA learned that the defendant was the driver of a black vehicle with Nevada license plates. In addition, law enforcement learned that the defendant was accompanied by two additional individuals who were driving a second car with the narcotics hidden inside that vehicle. During the meeting, the defendant stated that the drugs were in a hidden compartment, that they needed a place to remove the drugs, and that they wanted to count the money prior to the exchange.

A second meeting was held at a Walmart store in the Rocky Mount area after which law enforcement attempted to conduct a traffic stop of the second vehicle, a gray SUV. The gray SUV initially stopped. The driver was identified as co-defendant, Yvoanny Osmeo Barrientos-Ochoa. Shortly after exiting the SUV, co-defendant Barrientos returned to the SUV and fled. Law enforcement initiated a pursuit but lost sight of the vehicle, which was later located unoccupied in a field in Battleboro, North Carolina.

With the assistance of a K-9, law enforcement ultimately located 7,718 grams of crystal methamphetamine inside the vehicle and in a wooded area next to the grey SUV. A search of the vehicle also yielded 5,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills which weighed 438.10 grams. Thereafter, law enforcement located all three individuals hiding in a hotel and arrested all three individuals.

The defendant was found to be responsible for possession with intent to distribute 438.10 gram of fentanyl and 7,718 grams of crystal methamphetamine.

"Nash County Sheriff's Office is grateful for the strong relationships we have with our federal partners," said Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone. "This case proves how our partnerships effectively remove dangerous criminals from harming our communities. Teamwork is the only way we will make a difference combating gangs, guns, and drugs in Nash County. I appreciate the hard work and dedication that the Nash County Sheriff's Office and our partners demonstrate every day."

The prosecution of Arce-Cazares was a part of Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Homeland Security, and the Nash County Sheriff's Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer C. Nucci prosecuted the case.