Kansas man sentenced in cartel-linked drug delivery ring. ‘As if you ordered a pizza’
A 30-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, man was sentenced to nearly 14 years in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking ring with ties to a Mexican cartel, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Kansas.
Joel Rodriguez pleaded guilty in January to one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced this week to 13 years and 11 months in prison, according to a news release. A count of conspiracy to possess and distribute the drug was dismissed at sentencing.
The charges stem from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration that began in February 2023 into a drug trafficking ring in the Kansas City area.
The investigation so far has led to convictions of about a dozen defendants, including Jose Antonio Heredia-Chang, who headed the ring, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Meth, cocaine, delivered ‘as if you ordered a pizza’
Heredia-Chang, 34, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was in the U.S. illegally and had been living in the Phoenix area. The trafficking ring allegedly distributed meth, fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs.
ATF and DEA investigators allege that buyers and distributors in Kansas City placed orders with Heredia-Chang, who then dispatched drivers to deliver the drugs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Investigators observed Heredia-Chang’s drivers visiting Rodriguez’s home in Kansas City, Kansas. Agents also intercepted calls between the two discussing drug and firearm trafficking, during which Rodriguez arranged for deliveries to be made to his home. Agents then observed deliveries being made to his home.
Heredia-Chang pleaded guilty in November to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess more than 50 grams of meth and one count of possession of a firearm in the furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He is awaiting sentencing, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“The Heredia-Chang drug trafficking ring was a complex and highly structured operation based on a model that, in essence, worked the same as if you ordered a pizza,” Ryan A. Kriegshauser, U.S. Attorney for Kansas, said in the news release. “Instead of food, these delivery drivers showed up at your doorstep with meth and cocaine.”
So far, 10 other co-defendants have pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with the Heredia-Chang drug trafficking ring, including Noel Rios-Salazar, Jesus Villaverde, Jose Cervantes-Valenzuela, Jessica Solano, Gennelle Glackin, Kelly Gray, Marnie Lynn, Christopher Martens, Robert Hicks and Chad Haviland.
