Last member in Arizona-based drug-trafficking ring sentenced to prison
Jul 11, 2023, 9:48 AM
(Luis Sinco/Getty Images)
(Luis Sinco/Getty Images)
PHOENIX — The last member of a drug-trafficking ring based out of Arizona was recently sentenced to prison, authorities announced.
Cecilia Campos, 49, of Alabama, was sentenced on June 14 to 1.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine and money laundering, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona said Monday.
Campos and three other co-conspirators possessed with the intent to distribute over 1,400 grams of methamphetamine, about 130 grams of heroin and 29 grams of cocaine in and outside of Arizona for several years until June 2, 2017, prosecutors said.
Campos and co-conspirator Juan Randolfo Parrado-Herrera, 63, of Tucson, mailed several packages with drugs from Tucson to Florida.
Campos also conspired to launder money by directing the proceeds from narcotic sales to be put into accounts that were accessible by her and Parrado-Herrera.
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The pair would ask other co-conspirators across the country to deposit the money from narcotic sales into bank accounts under their control and later withdrew the money from accounts in Tucson, prosecutors said.
Together, they laundered over $250,000 in narcotic proceeds using their method.
Parrado-Herrera was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, as well as money laundering.
He also admitted to committing the crimes while he was already serving a term of supervised release in another federal case.
Two other co-conspirators in the case also were previously sentenced.
Markita Denise Caldwell, 48, of Missouri, was sentenced to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to money laundering.
Ana Fernanda-Contreras, 32, of Tucson, was sentenced to one year of probation after pleading guilty to money laundering.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
