Three Arellano-Felix Members Sentenced to Prison and Two Will Forfeit $1 Million Each

Three Arellano-Felix Members Sentenced to Prison and Two Will Forfeit $1 Million Each: "Jesus Labra-Aviles and Armando Martinez-Duarte were sentenced today to 480 months and 220 months of imprisonment, respectively. In addition, on March 29, 2010, Jorge Aureliano Felix was sentenced to 360 months in prison. United States District Judge Larry A. Burns, who imposed the sentences, also ordered Labra and Felix to forfeit $1 million each.
The sentences follow the defendants’ guilty pleas in October 2009 to crimes arising from their leadership of the AFO. According to court documents, for nearly two decades, the AFO controlled drug trafficking and other criminal activity in the Tijuana or Mexicali areas of Baja California, Mexico. All of the defendants admitted in their guilty pleas that AFO members distributed indeterminable amounts of cocaine and marijuana exceeding hundreds of tons each. The defendants also admitted that AFO members paid millions of dollars in bribes to law enforcement, government, and military officials to evade capture and prosecution.
Court documents establish Labra, who was convicted of conspiring to distribute cocaine and marijuana, partnered with Benjamin Arellano-Felix to obtain large amounts of cocaine and marijuana. Labra admitted as part of his guilty plea that he helped organize and lead the conspiracy, which involved hundreds of members and associates. Labra also acknowledged that he was consulted on major decisions and directed the actions of others."