Foreign National Sentenced
Was Leader of Large Cocaine Distribution Network
A man who was indicted along with twenty–five other individuals and charged with being a member of a large cocaine distribution organization, was sentenced in federal court on June 22, 2012, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.
Ivan Vazquez–Gonzalez, a/k/a Ivan Gonzalez–Vazquez, a/k/a Luis Gonzalez, a/k/a Samuel Santan Rodriguz, a/k/a Jonathan Medina–Duran, a/k/a Chiquillin,
a/k/a Pelon,
23, a citizen of Mexico, who is currently in the United States illegally, and who most recently resided in Granite City and Chicago, was sentenced to 521 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release. Vazquez–Gonzalez was also sentenced to pay a $1,250 fine, and a $310 special assessment. In addition to the sentence, Vazquez–Gonzalez was ordered to forfeit a total of $9,000,000 to the United States. The Court also entered a Judicial Order of Removal, which will require Vazquez– Gonzalez to be deported from the United States following his release from prison.
On December 14, 2011, Vazquez–Gonzalez pled guilty to Engaging in a Continuing Criminal Enterprise (CCE); Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine; Illegal Entry into the United States Without Inspection; Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments; and Interstate Travel in Support of Racketeering. In imposing the sentence, the Court found that Vazquez–Gonzalez was the leader of a drug trafficking organization which involved at least twentyeight individuals and distributed well in excess of 150 kilograms of cocaine. The Court also found that the Vazquez–Gonzalez possessed a firearm during the course of the conspiracy and made credible threats of violence in relation to his drug trafficking activities.
Evidence in support of the indictment was obtained in an investigation which was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF initiative is designed to bring federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and resources together to identify, target and dismantle large national and international drug trafficking organizations. Participating agencies include the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Marshal Service, the Granite City Police Department, Fairmont City Police Department, Collinsville Police Department, Fairview Heights Police Department, Caseyville Police Department, Pontoon Beach Police Department, Park Hills (Missouri) Police Department, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, and the Illinois State Police. This case was assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Randy G. Massey.
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