Nampa Woman Sentenced for Selling Methamphetamine

BOISE – Veronica Cantu, 27, of Nampa, Idaho, was sentenced today for distributing methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.  Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill sentenced Cantu to 38 months in prison and three years of supervised release.  Cantu pleaded guilty to the charge on April 25, 2016.

According to the plea agreement, the co-defendant, Tara Rivera, 30, of Nampa, Idaho, arranged to distribute methamphetamine to a person working with law enforcement as an informant.  When the informant arrived to purchase the methamphetamine, Rivera introduced the informant to Cantu, who was also present.  Cantu then sold the informant approximately one-quarter ounce of methamphetamine on March 4, 2014, in Nampa, Idaho.  Cantu was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 14, 2014.  She was a fugitive with an outstanding warrant for her arrest until she was arrested in Michigan in November 2015.  On June 17, 2015, Rivera was sentenced to 24 months in prison for distributing methamphetamine.

 This case and other related cases are the result of an investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force, which focused on the “Norteno” Northside gang that is active in Nampa and other parts of the Treasure Valley.  Fourteen individuals were indicted on drug and gun charges as a result of the investigation. 

These cases are the result of a joint investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force and the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  The Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force is comprised of federal, state and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Boise Police Department; Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Caldwell Police Department; Nampa Police Department; Meridian Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; and Idaho Department of Probation and Parole.  The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), includes the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and U.S. Marshals Service.  The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.

These cases are being prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership, the Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes.  The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth.  For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org.