Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years in Prison

LAS VEGAS—A Las Vegas-based narcotics dealer who coordinated the importation and interstate shipment of large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana across state lines, has been sentenced to almost 20 years in prison, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

Bryan Binns, aka Jose Silva Ayala, 29, a citizen of Mexico who last resided in Henderson, Nevada, was sentenced on Monday, April 30, 2012, by Senior U.S. District Judge Lloyd D. George, to 235 months in prison, five years of supervised release, and was ordered to forfeit numerous vehicles, firearms, and over $38,000 in currency. Binns pleaded guilty on November 23, 2011, to four counts of conspiracy to possess controlled substances with the intent to distribute (methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana). Binns has a prior felony conviction for unlawful re-entry into the United States following deportation.

According to the court filings, in February 2010, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Las Vegas initiated an investigation of Binns and determined that he was coordinating the transportation of large quantities of narcotics, often via semi tractor-trailers, to persons in other states. During the course of the investigation, over five kilograms of methamphetamine, two kilograms of heroin, one kilogram of cocaine, and 227 kilograms of marijuana were seized. The drugs were seized from co-conspirators during several traffic stops in Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, between November 2010 and February 2011.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley W. Giles, and investigated by the DEA and the Organized Crime Drug Trafficking Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF Program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies, which include the DEA, FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, IRS, and the U.S. Coast Guard, in cooperation with the Department of Justice Criminal Division, Tax Division, and the 93 U.S. Attorney’s Offices, as well as with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.