15 plead guilty in Phoenix-to-Kansas fentanyl pipeline case
Arizona's Family reported that 15 people pleaded guilty in a drug-ring case in which authorities said Phoenix was used to move fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine into Kansas. The source said investigators tied the operation to the Sinaloa Cartel and that ringleader Euriel Talavera received a 19-year federal sentence.
Federal authorities dismantled a drug ring that used Phoenix as a pickup point to move fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine into Kansas, according to Arizona's Family. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas said 15 people pleaded guilty to charges connected to the operation, which authorities linked to the Sinaloa Cartel.
Arizona's Family reported that traffickers drove from Wichita to Phoenix and other locations every few weeks to collect large quantities of drugs before returning to Kansas for distribution. Investigators said ringleader Euriel Talavera, 32, of Wichita, remained in regular contact with cartel members in Mexico. A Homeland Security Task Force began investigating the ring in December 2022, working with the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and Wichita police.
In one operation described by prosecutors, investigators intercepted a planned shipment of 160,000 counterfeit Percocet pills containing fentanyl after monitoring an exchange and stopping a vehicle. Talavera pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and received a 228-month, or 19-year, federal prison sentence. The other 14 defendants received sentences ranging from probation to more than 11 years, according to the report.
The source did not say whether anyone from Phoenix was arrested or charged with helping move the drugs through the city.