HSI Tucson, multiagency case sends drug trafficker to prison for 12 years for possession of a firearm and conspiracy to distribute approximately 90,000 fentanyl pills

TUCSON, Ariz. — A Mexican national was sentenced last week to 144 months in prison for possession of a firearm and conspiracy to distribute approximately 90,000 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. The investigation in this case was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

“HSI, together with our law enforcement partners, is dedicated to making communities safer by bringing criminals to justice,” said HSI Arizona Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown. “The successful outcome of this case involving potentially deadly drugs and a weapon is a direct result of the steadfast efforts of law enforcement to prevent this illegal activity from continuing to happen. This man undoubtedly poses a threat to public safety both here and abroad. He will now spend the next 12 years in prison for his actions.”

Pilar Angel Leon-Beltran, 44, of Sinaloa, Mexico, pleaded guilty to the charges on March 22. He admitted to being in violation of a condition of his supervised release from a previous federal conviction.

In April 2022, Leon-Beltran traveled with three co-conspirators from Tucson to the Phoenix metropolitan area. Leon-Beltran and his co-conspirators were subsequently stopped by federal agents and Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers in Scottsdale during an undercover operation. Approximately 90,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl were discovered in their possession. Leon-Beltran had a loaded firearm in his possession while he was transporting the fentanyl-laced pills.

On Feb. 3, co-conspirator Enrique Flores-Diaz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 78 months in prison. Co-conspirator Denisse Calderon-Razura pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 15 months in prison on June 28. Co-conspirator Laura Elena Hambrick has pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 18, 2024.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Operation. The OCDETF Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

The United State Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona in Tucson prosecuted the case.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.gov)