DEA agents initiated a wiretap investigation
As a result of a DEA wiretap investigation, Alfredo Montes-Vargas, 39, of Culiacan, Mexico, was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine following a five-day trial in federal district court.
Drug Enforcement Administration agents initiated a wiretap investigation of Montes-Vargas and his co-conspirators in November of 2009, according to evidence presented at trial. Based on intercepted calls, agents learned that on December 11, 2009, Montes-Vargas and his co-conspirators arranged for the delivery of drugs to a house in Phoenix. Agents found loaded firearms, 19 kilograms of cocaine, 11 kilograms of methamphetamine, and approximately $162,000 in U.S. currency.
Additional intercepted calls allowed agents to identify a car that was headed for Montes-Vargas. When the car was stopped at a Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 8, agents found 9 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in a hidden compartment.
United States District Judge Frederick J. Martone is schedule to sentence Montes-Vargas on December 14, 2012. Both convictions carry a potential sentence of 10 years to life in federal prison, in addition to a potential $4,000,000 fine.