July 2, 2010

TRAFFIC STOP IN WABAUNSEE COUNTY, KAN., SENDS TEXAS MAN TO PRISON FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING

TOPEKA, KAN. – Oscar Calderon, 35, Paris, Texas, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for drug trafficking, U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch said today.

Calderon pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. In his plea, he admitted that on Nov. 4, 2009, on Interstate 70 at Tallgrass Road in Wabaunsee County the Kansas Highway Patrol stopped a white van in which he was riding. Investigators found 11.8 kilograms (more than 26 pounds) of cocaine in a compartment concealed beneath the van’s front fenders.

Welch commended the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard for their work on the case.