A Mexican citizen reputed to be a "large quantity methamphetamine distributor in Little Rock" pleaded innocent in federal court Wednesday to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
Jose Aguirre-Garcia was arraigned on the charges during a brief hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jerome Kearney. After Garcia's attorney, Nicki Nicolo, entered a plea of innocent to the charges, Kearney set a trial date of March 22 before U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright.
Kearney ordered Garcia to be held in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service
"My understanding is that he is in custody both as an illegal alien and also that he is facing supervised-release revocation," Kearney said to Nicolo. "Is that your understanding?"
"Yes, your honor," Nicolo responded. "We will reserve our right for a detention hearing if it becomes an issue."
According to an affidavit filed by Ken Bolton, a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration, a confidential source with the Lonoke County sheriff's office contacted authorities in September with information that he could purchase methamphetamine from a man he identified as "Kukin" Aguirre, who DEA officials knew as Garcia, the brother of Gabriel Aguirre-Garcia, a wanted fugitive living in Michoacan, Mexico, who is reportedly a multikilogram source for methamphetamine.
According to the affidavit, investigators set up a drug buy of 3.8 ounces of methamphetamine for the following day involving Garcia and a co-defendant, April Henson.
The affidavit said that on Nov. 12, Garcia contacted the confidential source by text message in an attempt to set up a drug buy that did not take place, but on Dec. 7, investigators used the confidential source to purchase a kilogram of methamphetamine from two subjects, one of whom identified Jose Aguirre-Garcia as a major distributor.
On Jan. 5, the affidavit said Homeland Security Investigations in Little Rock conducted a controlled delivery of 3 kilograms of methamphetamine to an address on Colonel Glenn Road, resulting in the arrest of another subject, who indicated that the drugs came from Gabriel Aguirre-Garcia in Mexico with the distribution overseen by Jose Aguirre-Garcia.