Mica for cartelinsider.com
A man who maintained communications with an alleged member of the Sinaloa Cartel was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison in the United States after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine. The 52-year-old subject was involved with another individual to distribute the drug in US territory.
This is about Ricardo Baltazar Aguirre, who pleaded guilty in South Carolina, United States. The events took place a year ago, on January 6, 2023, when a man identified as Oscar Nuñez Cortés traveled in a car to meet Ricardo in a town in South Carolina.
When both subjects were at the site, they deposited 10 kilograms of cocaine in a vehicle. It was Núñez Cortés who, along with his girlfriend, traveled to Fayetteville because they were going to meet with a buyer at that location.
A search of Núñez Cortés’ car revealed 10 kilograms of cocaine packaged in kilogram quantities in a large canvas bag in the back seat. A search of Baltazar Aguirre’s truck revealed a gun in the glove compartment, according to a document shared by the US Department of Justice on Thursday, January 25th.
In the judicial document it can be read that the now sentenced man was communicating with an alleged member of the Sinaloa Cartel, the latter located in Mexico. This was discovered because authorities reviewed the cell phones of Núñez Cortés and Baltazar Aguirre.
Both subjects were having conversations with a subject identified by the authorities as a suspected member of the Sinaloa Cartel. Not much information is known about this last subject, only that he would be responsible for finalizing the deal on the drugs.
After Ricardo Baltazar pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine on October 13, US authorities announced a sentence of 151 months (just over 12 years) in prison. Meanwhile, Núñez Cortés also accepted his guilt.
It is worth remembering that narcotics that are close to US territory tend to increase their value in the market, as revealed by journalist specialized in drug trafficking issues, Anabel Hernández, in her book “The Traitor: The Secret Diary of El Mayo’s Son.”
In said work, published by Grijalbo Editorial, you can read about part of the life of Vicente Zambada Niebla, also known as El Vicentillo. During his investigation, Hernandez took into account the statements of Jesus Reynaldo Zambada who detailed that the drugs purchased by the Sinaloa Cartel have a price in Colombia, but said price increases when the substance is in Culiacan, Mexico.
But when cocaine crosses the border, its value increases again and depending on the area in which it is traded, it has a profit margin, as explained by the brother of Mayo Zambada, although their data corresponds to 2008, even though the journalist assured that prices have not varied.
Thanks for reading!
Mica
Email: mica@cartelinsider.com
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