Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Investigations, E.J. Picolo, Special Agent in Charge, Fort Myers Regional Operations Center for Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Ric L. Bradshaw, Sheriff, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and Susan Benton, Sheriff, Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, announced today’s sentencing of defendant, Joseli Davila, 36, of Boynton Beach, Florida for his participation in a drug trafficking conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks sentenced Davila to 327 months imprisonment, to be followed by five (5) years of supervised release.

On August 26, 2010, Davila pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five (5) kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride. The indictment charged twenty-five (25) defendants with a total of fifty-four counts of narcotics trafficking in connection with their participation in a conspiracy to possess and distribute multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine. To date, twenty defendants have pled guilty to various narcotics trafficking offenses. Five fugitives remain at large. Among the defendants convicted and sentenced are:

• Placido Martinez-Resendiz, 23, of West Palm Beach, FL;
Sentenced to 188 months in prison; 5 years of supervised release.
• Edgar Orosco, 24, of Lake Placid, FL;
Sentenced to 168 months in prison; 5 years of supervised release.
• Cesar Ramos Alvarado, 37, of West Palm Beach, FL;
Sentenced to 135 months in prison; 5 years of supervised release.
• Armando Resendiz, 28, of Lake Placid, FL;
Sentenced to 120 months in prison; 5 years of supervised release.
• Salvador Ramos Alvarado, 26, of Delray Beach, FL;
Sentenced to 30 months in prison; 3 years of supervised release.
• Angel Zavala Soto, 30,of Palm Beach Gardens, FL;
Sentenced to 97 months in prison; 3 years of supervised released.
• J Guadalupe Garcia-Landaverde, 38, of West Palm Beach, FL;
Sentenced to 87 months in prison; 3 years of supervised release.
• Gerardo Martinez, 23, of Lake Placid, FL;
Sentenced to 18 months in prison; 3 years of supervised release.
• Sulema Salcedo Chavez, 21, of Lake Placid, FL;
Sentenced to time served; 4 years of supervised release.
• Bladimir Lopez, 25, of West Palm Beach, FL;
Sentenced to 262 months in prison; 5 years of supervised release.
• Timothy Isaguirre, 30, of West Palm Beach, FL;
Sentenced to 60 months in prison; 4 years of supervised release.
• Jorge Herrera Luviano, 30, of Lake Worth, FL;
Sentenced to 60 months in prison; 5 years of supervised release.
• Alejandro Becerra, 23, of Lake Placid, FL;
Sentenced to 70 months in prison; 4 years of supervised release.
• Victor Olvera, 27, of Lake Placid, FL;
Sentenced to 37 months; 4 years of supervised release.
• Gregory Rivera, 30, of Boynton Beach, FL,
Sentenced to 41 months in prison; 3 years of supervised release.

This coordinated takedown was part of the Department of Justice’s Southwest Border Strategy, announced in March 2009, which used federal prosecutor-led task forces that brought together federal, state and local law enforcement to identify, disrupt and dismantle the Mexican drug cartels through investigation, prosecution and extradition of their key leaders and facilitators, and the seizure and forfeiture of their assets. Through continued joint cooperation at all levels of the U.S. and Mexican governments, the Department of Justice and its partners are actively working to stem the flow of illegal narcotics, weapons and bulk cash moving across the U.S./Mexico border.

Operation Mexican Minute is a cooperative federal, state, and local law enforcement investigation, approved and funded by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a national DOJ program that supports investigations of significant multi-state and international drug trafficking organizations. This investigation has resulted locally in the seizure of powder cocaine and crack cocaine, including one seizure of ten and another seizure of six kilograms of powder cocaine, the seizure of more than $150,000 in cash, four cars, and various firearms. According to information developed during the investigation, this group operated from Broward, Palm Beach, and Highlands Counties in the Southern District of Florida, and Hendry County in the Middle District of Florida.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the DEA, ICE, FDLE, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Ferrer also thanked the Delray Police Department, the Boca Raton Police Department, the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance in this matter. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer C. Millien.

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A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.