Final defendant convicted for transporting heroin hidden in car frame
DAYTON, Ohio – A federal jury convicted the final defendant in a smuggling scheme Friday with conspiring with others to bring more than 2.5 kilograms of heroin hidden in the frame of a car. The conviction follows an investigation by the Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force, which is led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations.
"The most effective way to dismantle a criminal group is to target their supply lines and proceeds," said Marlon Miller, special agent in charge for HSI Detroit, which covers Michigan and Ohio. "This conviction is a testament to the immeasurable value of the Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force and the unique expertise and authorities each member agency brings to bear in these complex investigations."
Benjamin C. Glassman, acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and law enforcement agencies in the task force, announced the conviction by Carlos Pavon, 42, an illegal alien from Honduras.
According to court testimony, task force officers investigating a lead provided by law enforcement officials in California questioned Pavon and two other men at a Dayton hotel in November 2014. After talking with the men, authorities searched a car connected to them at the hotel. Officers found two loaded semi-automatic handguns and items often involved in weighing and repackaging heroin. A drug dog sniffed the car and indicated the presence of illegal drugs. Task force officers took the car to the Fairborn Police Department and found five bricks of heroin hidden in the frame of the car. Officers arrested the three men on a federal complaint. They have been in custody since their arrest.
“We continue to work with law enforcement agencies to reduce the supply of heroin in our region,” Acting U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “Hidden compartments or ‘traps’ are a common method used by drug traffickers and officers receive constant training on detecting these traps.”
Law enforcement agencies participating in the Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force led by HSI include Montgomery County Sheriff Philip Plummer’s Office, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s Office, the Butler Township Police Department and the Miami Township Police Department.
A grand jury indicted Pavon along with Amilcar Antonio Cortez Grande, 32, an illegal alien from El Salvador, and Mario Felix, 45, Spring Valley, California in December 2014. Grande and Felix pleaded guilty before Judge Rice in May 2015 to conspiracy and firearms charges. Grande was sentenced in November 2015 to 90 months in prison. Sentencing is pending for Felix. Evidence showed that Felix had driven the car from California to Ohio to deliver the heroin to Pavon and Grande.
Acting U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the federal, state and local agencies involved, and Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Healey and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Vipal Patel, who are representing the United States in this case.
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