California methamphetamine trafficker sentenced
PENSACOLA, Fla. – A California man was sentenced in a Pensacola federal courtroom Wednesday to 25 years of imprisonment and ten years of supervision upon release for conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Pensacola Police Department and the State Attorney’s Office for the 1st Judicial Circuit.
Between January and October 2013, Javier E. Rivas, 35, of San Francisco, furnished multi-ounce quantities of high purity methamphetamine, known as “ice” and “crystal meth,” to a California drug supplier, who, in turn, mailed the drugs to local distributors in the Pensacola area. In September 2014, Rivas pleaded guilty to a one-count indictment charging him with conspiracy.
Rivas is the sixth defendant charged and convicted as part of a continuing investigation into the large-scale importation of crystal methamphetamine from Mexico to Northern California and Pensacola. Local members of the organization include Bryan Gaston, Mark Jergenson, Victor Pinckard, and William Thomas. All of the defendants have been sentenced to federal prison.
“Trafficking methamphetamine is a serious offense that destroys lives and wreaks havoc on entire communities,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge at HSI Tampa. “HSI, together with its federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, is committed to using every resource and authority at its disposal to combat the menace posed by this dangerous drug.”
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is proud to join a multi-agency law enforcement investigation to combat drug trafficking in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Pamela C. Marsh, Northern District of Florida. “Together, we are saving lives and protecting the district, state, and nation from the threat of deadly drugs.”
Marsh praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Pensacola Police Department, and the State Attorney’s Office for the 1st Judicial Circuit, whose joint investigation led to the indictments in this case.
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