A Mexican national, Fulgencio Cardenas-Rivera, has been sentenced to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. The sentencing took place on July 22, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Brandon S. Long in New Orleans. In addition to the prison term, Cardenas-Rivera received four years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced the sentence. According to court documents, Cardenas-Rivera entered the Eastern District of Louisiana with about three kilograms of cocaine hidden in his car’s trunk, intending to distribute it.
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF focuses on identifying and dismantling high-level drug traffickers and criminal organizations through a coordinated approach involving federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Orleans Field Division Office with support from the Louisiana State Police, United States Border Patrol, Kenner Police Department, and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit prosecuted the case.
“This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.”
