A fugitive from California was sentenced to federal prison after his capture at a Reno casino.
The United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of Georgia, said 45-year-old Antonio Acosta of Berkeley, California once operated a drug trafficking ring in the Savannah, Georgia area.
He was sentenced to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of interstate and foreign travel or transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises (conspiracy to distribute and distribution of controlled substances).
Acosta will be required to serve three years of supervised release after his prison term. There was no parole in the federal system.
Acosta and eight co-defendants were indicted in February 2014 on federal drug trafficking charges following a two-year investigation by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team.
According to court documents, Acosta shipped kilogram quantities of cocaine via the US Postal Service and an extensive network of co-conspirators distributed those drugs throughout the grater Savannah area.
The DEA and Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team did search warrants in multiple locations, seizing large amounts of drugs, more than $200,000 in cash, several firearms and drug distribution paraphernalia.
Seven of the co-defendants pleaded guilty to charges in the indictment and received sentences of up to 127 months in federal prison. An eighth co-defendant died shortly after the indictment.
Acosta fled from the Savannah area and on July 29, 2020, officers from the Reno Police Department received a tip that Acosta was wanted for arrest and was in a Reno casino.
Acosta was arrested without incident while sitting at a gambling table, and US Marshals returned him to the Southern District where he was re-indicted in November 2020.
