Mexican National Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Trafficking Meth
TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Benancio Pineda (50, Mexico) to 10 years in federal prison for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Pineda entered a guilty plea on September 28, 2023.
According to court documents, on December 20, 2022, Pineda met with an individual at a gas station in Wimauma and sold him approximately 1 kilogram of methamphetamine. This methamphetamine was 96% pure. On June 16, 2023, Pineda drove to meet the same person in Wimauma to sell him 2 kilograms of methamphetamine, but Pineda was pulled over by law enforcement near Sun City Center. Law enforcement recovered approximately 2 kilograms of methamphetamine from inside of Pineda’s car. This methamphetamine was 97% pure.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
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