California Man Sentenced For Drug Trafficking
BOISE, IDAHO - Fernando Luna-Rodriguez, 32, of El Sinore, California, was sentenced July 1, 2011, to 30 months in prison for distributing methamphetamine. Luna-Rodriguez was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release following his prison term and 80 hours of community service. Luna-Rodriguez pleaded guilty to the charge on March 29, 2011.
According to court documents, in March 2010, Luna-Rodriguez delivered approximately two pounds of methamphetamine to co-defendants at Fruteria y Abarrotes la Michoacana, a store in Weiser, Idaho. At the time, law enforcement was watching the store in connection with an ongoing drug investigation and observed Luna-Rodriguez deliver the methamphetamine. Luna-Rodriguez was arrested later and charged with 12 others in a 17-count superseding indictment filed on August 11, 2010. Several co-defendants have entered pleas related to these charges and are awaiting sentencing.
Co-defendant Ricardo Payan-Beltran, 39, a Mexican national, was sentenced on June 8, 2011 to 30 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana. He was also ordered to a pay a $1,000 fine.
The indictment was the result of a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Nampa City Police Department. This was an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF) investigation, providing supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved.
