Methamphetamine Distributor Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison

TUCSON, Ariz. – Jesus Hector Lagarda-Gil, 45, of Mexico, was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 11 years in prison and five years of supervised release. The court also ordered that Lagarda-Gil forfeit a 2018 Mazda CX5 automobile and $148,000 in United States currency. Lagarda-Gil pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine on September 21, 2023.

A co-defendant, Jesus Omar Encincas-Burruel, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison and three years of supervised release on December 1, 2023.

Lagarda-Gil negotiated and coordinated the delivery of over 300 pounds of methamphetamine to undercover agents during a four-month period in 2022. On March 29, 2022, Lagarda-Gil met with an undercover agent in Las Vegas, Nevada, and personally delivered 45 pounds of methamphetamine to the agent after receiving the methamphetamine from Encinas-Burruel. In June of 2022, Lagarda-Gil traveled to Las Vegas again and delivered another 61 pounds of methamphetamine to the undercover agent. On July 1, 2022, Lagarda-Gil was arrested after delivering 217 pounds of methamphetamine to agents.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Homeland Security Investigations – Tucson office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Tucson office conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-1607-TUC-SHR 
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-009_LaGarda-Gil

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