OMAHA-The Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the district court judgment sentencing Jorge Alberto Sainz Navarrete to life imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. He was also sentenced to a concurrent term of imprisonment of 240 months for two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of laundering of monetary instrument. Navarrete was convicted following a June 2018 jury trial in Omaha.
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the evidence was sufficient to support defendant's conviction, further affirming the district court's determination that Navarrete was responsible for distributing at least forty-eight (48) pounds of methamphetamine and laundering more than $125,000 in drug proceeds during the course of the conspiracy.
At trial it was shown that Navarrete, an Arizona resident with direct ties to a Mexican drug cartel, began delivering methamphetamine to the Omaha area using cars with false compartments. Drug Enforcement Administration agents utilized confidential informants, undercover agents, and a federal wiretap to bring down the organization. A total of eleven (11) people were indicted as a result of the investigation, many of whom testified against Navarrete at trial.
Navarrete was previously convicted of possession with intent to distribute fifty (50) grams or more of methamphetamine in the District of Minnesota in 2005 and was sentenced to eighty-seven (87) months’ imprisonment.
This case highlights the commitment of the United States Attorney’s Office to enforce the law and to ensure public safety, not only through conviction but through any challenges defendants may make to their sentence.