NOGALES, Ariz. — Editor's Note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast.
A man previously convicted of drug crimes in Arizona has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to distribute thousands of fentanyl pills.
Sigfrido A. Rivero, 56, of Nogales was sentenced last week after pleading guilty to possessing fentanyl with the intention to distribute it, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of Arizona.
The defendant was arrested in May 2021 after investigators recovered about 190,000 fentanyl pills from his vehicle on Interstate 19 near Amado.
Court records show Rivero was previously convicted of drug trafficking charges more than a decade ago. Prosecutors say Rivero was on parole for those charges when he committed the 2021 drug offenses.
“The United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Arizona is committed to combatting the fentanyl epidemic plaguing this country and will advocate vigorously for appropriately strict punishment for those involved in the distribution of this dangerous drug,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino in a statement.
Rivero will be placed on supervised release for 10 years following his prison sentence.
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