On Tuesday, three people were given sentences for their roles in a narcotics trafficking ring that distributed huge amounts of methamphetamine in Reno.
They all took part in several narcotics purchases that involved the distribution of over 33 kilos of methamphetamine into Reno, totaling pounds of the drug for thousands of dollars.
64-year-old Maria Valenzuela, 38-year-old Xochitl Sanchez-Pacheco of Sinaloa, Mexico, and 25-year-old Saul Nolasco, 25, of Lodi, California, all entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Miranda M. Du, a United States District Judge, sentenced Sanchez-Pacheco to 30 months in prison, Valenzuela to 33 months, and Nolasco to 41 months.
Court filings and admissions in court show that Nolasco, Valenzuela, and Sanchez-Pacheco plotted to distribute 33 kilograms of methamphetamine, a Schedule II restricted substance, into the Reno community between January 20, 2023, and October 8, 2023.
Nolasco worked with his Mexico-based brother. In Nevada and California, Nolasco acted as the drug trafficking organization's operational headquarters.
He received and processed cash payments, acquired and kept huge amounts of methamphetamine at his home, and supplied numerous Reno and other buyers with methamphetamine.
Valenzuela was in charge of delivering pounds of methamphetamine and collecting thousands of dollars in cash payments on behalf of the drug trafficking group during her time carrying out several criminal transactions.
Valenzuela and her daughter were apprehended at the border crossing with 97 pounds of methamphetamine from the United States to Mexico in November 2023. To hide the drugs, their van was equipped with trap chambers.
Large amounts of methamphetamine were transported by Sanchez-Pacheco in both Reno and Modesto, California. She got the money from those deliveries, including one that involved $5,500.
54-year-old Bobby Jo Kissel, the fourth co-defendant, entered a guilty plea in October 2024 and is awaiting sentencing.
The Modesto Police Department, HSI, USMS, Nevada Department of Investigation, Nevada Highway Patrol, Regional Narcotics Unit, Washoe County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit, and the DEA all participated in investigating this case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andolyn Johnson.
This announcement was made by Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kevin Adams of the DEA Las Vegas District Office and Acting United States Attorney Sue Fahami of the District of Nevada.
