LITTLE ROCK — Six men were sentenced in federal court in Fayetteville to prison terms for their roles in a marijuana-distribution scheme in the Fort Smith and Fayetteville areas that netted almost $700,000 in two years.
According to a plea agreement, the six pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute more than 1,500 pounds of marijuana from October 2007 to January 2009, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office for the state’s Western District.
Librado Espinoza-Valencia, 38, of Alton, Texas; Cosme Hernandez-Urena, 70, of Duck River, Tenn.; and Daniel Flores, 32, of Edinburg, Texas; pleaded guilty to the conspiracy-to-distribute charge and to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Espinoza-Valencia was sentenced to 120 months in prison and fined $15,000; Hernandez-Urena was sentenced to 70 months in prison and fined $10,000; and Flores was sentenced to 54 months in prison and fined $10,000.
William Hall, 26, of Fort Smith; Chad Hunt, 26, of Fayetteville; and Wesley Daniel, 31, of Roland, Okla., pleaded guilty to the conspiracy-to-distribute charge.
Hall was sentenced to 50 months in prison and fined $7,500; Hunt was sentenced to 40 months in prison and was fined $7,500; and Daniel was sentenced to 30 months in prison and was fined $6,000.
The news release said that in the scheme, marijuana was shipped to western Arkansas using UPS and then divided into smaller amounts and distributed in the Fort Smith and Fayetteville areas
The cash from the marijuana sale then was deposited in bank accounts controlled by the conspirators in Texas, according to the news release. The conspirators then purchased more marijuana with the money or paid distribution expenses.
The investigation was conducted by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Arkansas State Police, U.S. Postal Service and the Fort Smith, Fayetteville and Siloam Springs police departments.
Arkansas, Pages 13 on 09/29/2010