Wednesday, Carlos Ramon Castro-Rocha, 42, of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced to over 11 years in prison. Castro-Rocha previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess heroin with intent to distribute.
Castro-Rocha was the leader of a drug trafficking organization responsible for growing, processing, importing, and distributing massive quantities of heroin. Between October 2008 and April 2009, law enforcement seized approximately 48 pounds of heroin, over $150,000 in currency, numerous vehicles, and a firearm from Castro-Rocha’s organization. Castro-Rocha was indicted in November 2009, arrested in Mexico in May 2010, and extradited to the United States in October 2012 with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, Phoenix Police Department, Mesa Police Department, Wickenburg Police Department, Navajo County Sheriff’s Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety, and Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, with assistance from the Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs.