Arkansas Driver of Separate Car Containing Duffel Bag Full of Crystal Meth Bags Imprisoned Three Decades
ILLINOIS AND ARKANSAS – A man who tried to prevent law enforcement officers in Illinois from finding out about 40 pounds of crystal meth being trafficked in another car will go to prison over 17 years.
Jose V. Sanchez, 28, admitted to speeding in front of the other vehicle as it was being pulled over in an effort to keep officers from finding the meth being trafficked by Fort Smith, Arkansas, resident Christopher Palmer, according to the DEA.
Sanchez was sentenced last week in federal court, and Palmer, 40, was imprisoned for 30 years in February for his role in the crime.
Sanchez’s attempt to divert the officers was unsuccessful, and Palmer was pulled over in southern Illinois near Marine off Interstate 70 with about 40 pounds of crystal meth in his vehicle, a DEA news release says.
Sanchez, of California, was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess and intent to distribute a controlled substance.
“Southern Illinois is a transportation hub for couriers moving illicit drugs from the south to north and northeast,” Joseph Dixon, head of DEA investigations in southern Illinois, said in a news release. “Let this serve as a warning to the occupants of these vehicles: We will find you, we will arrest, and you will be prosecuted, and ultimately you will go to prison.”
A canine helped lead officers to the 40 approximately 1-pound bags of crystal meth in a duffel bag in the trunk of Palmer’s car, and a semi-automatic pistol was in the center console, the release states.
Officers then found Sanchez in his car in a store parking lot, and officers discovered a disassembled handgun and a round of ammo after a tip from a store employee, the news release adds.
