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Former fugitive in Naco Tunnel smuggling case gets more than a decade in prison
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Naco, AZ |
A man charged in the mid-1990’s for his part in a huge conspiracy to smuggle tons of cocaine into Arizona from Mexico by tunneling under the border has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison by a U.S. judge.
Victor Flores, 52, a Mexican national, was sentenced on Oct. 3 to 135 months in prison for his part in a conspiracy to smuggle and distribute almost eight tons of cocaine in the U.S. through a tunnel that extended from Mexico into Naco, AZ.
“During the conspiracy, Flores allowed his residence to be used to store approximately one ton of cocaine,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ann Birmingham Scheel in a statement. “The persistence of law enforcement and prosecutors in ensuring the defendants in this case face justice was outstanding.”
The investigation into the smuggling ring began in 1996 after the seizure of over five tons of cocaine from a warehouse in Tucson, said a statement by the FBI’s Phoenix field office. During the course of the investigation, it said, an additional 2,660 lbs. of cocaine, three fully automatic machine guns, and $1.5 million in cash were seized. Over 50 people connected to the Naco tunnel have been convicted, but the FBI said Flores was one of five that remained at large.
Flores was to face trial in 2001, but managed to flee a week before the start of the trial and remained a fugitive until his arrest in Mexico in 2010. He was extradited to the United States in December 2010, said the agency.
There have been three trials involving the Naco Tunnel thus far, it said. Two took place in 2001 and the third in 2007. In the 2007 trial, Francisco Valle-Hurtado, 38, and Ruben Ulteras-Estrada were convicted of possession with intent to distribute 17,715 lbs. of cocaine. Valle-Hurtado was also convicted of possessing a machine gun while committing the cocaine violation, said the FBI. He used the machine gun to guard the cocaine after it had passed through the tunnel that extended 210 feet from Mexico to Naco. Both men were sentenced to 25 years in prison.
