Arizona heroin trafficker sentenced to nearly a decade in prison

A man caught smuggling nearly 8,000 heroin pills in a cereal box while riding in a car in Buckeye nearly two years ago has been sentenced to prison, authorities announced Monday.

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office said Edgardo Dominguez-Cortez was sentenced to 9.25 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to transport and sell the drugs.

Dominguez-Cortez was a passenger in a car with Jesus Beltran Bajorquez and Marcos Ochoa on Dec. 21, 2024, when authorities searched the vehicle and found the pills inside a cereal box, prosecutors said.

At the time, Dominguez-Cortez was on probation for a money laundering offense related to drug trafficking.

While searching his phone, investigators found a video of the pill-filled box, along with messages in which he discussed participating in a drug deal with the other two men.

The three men were charged with conspiracy, transportation of a narcotic drug for sale and illegally conducting an enterprise. A jury found Dominguez-Cortez guilty on all charges on Aug. 13.

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