United States Drug Enforcement Administration

(DENVER)   - Javier Batista Cervantes, age 35, who was until today in Canada, was extradited from Canada to Denver, Colorado so he can face drug trafficking charges, U.S. Attorney John Walsh and Drug Enforcement (DEA) Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Barbra Roach announced.  Cervantes was indicted, along with six others, in 2010 for the importation of cocaine from Mexico.  The cocaine was brought to Colorado, where it was then later sent to Canada.  The defendant made his initial appearance today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael E. Hegarty.  The defendant will next be in court on May 19, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. for arraignment and detention.

According to the indictment, Cervantes, along with others, conspired to import into the United States from Mexico, and then export from the United States into Canada, cocaine, a Schedule II Controlled Substance.  The defendant also faces two counts of using a telephone to facilitate the commission of a drug trafficking felony.  If convicted of conspiracy, he faces not less than 10 years, and up to life in federal prison, as well as up to a $4,000,000 fine.  If convicted of using a telephone for drug trafficking, the defendant faces not more than four years imprisonment, and up to a $250,000 fine, per count, for each of the two counts.

The investigation dates back to when a co-defendant, Calvin Wayne Skidmore, was arrested in 2010 at the Del Bonita Port of Entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.  A search of his vehicle yielded 46 packages of cocaine, equating to 16.5 kilograms, concealed in hidden compartments.

In addition to Cervantes, one other person named in the indictment remains a fugitive.  Defendant Hector Armondo Chavez was extradited to Colorado from Canada on January 16, 2015.  Defendant Hernandez-Renteria is deceased.  Dionisio Salgado, a U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty in a related case in federal court in Colorado and was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison.  Canadian citizen Calvin Wayne Skidmore pleaded guilty in a related case in the District of Montana and was also sentenced to 10 years in prison.

This case was investigated by the DEA.  The Lethbridge Regional Police Service, a part of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams in Canada as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, assisted U.S. government authorities.  The U.S. Marshals Service assisted in the transportation of Cervantes from Canada to Colorado.  The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance in this matter.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michele Korver of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Colorado.