PLANO, Texas – A Mexican national with dual citizenship has been extradited from Mexico to the United States to face drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston announced today.
Nazario Cavazos-DeLuna, 59, of Mexico, was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 14, 2010, and charged with further criminal enterprise; conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, or ecstasy; conspiracy to commit money laundering; use or carry a firearm during the commission of a drug trafficking crime or possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Cavazos-DeLuna is a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States. to be detained.
According to the indictment, Cavazos-DeLuna is the long-term leader of a large, international organization that imports large quantities of various drugs from Mexico into the United States. The drugs include methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana. He was based in the United States, but fled to Mexico, where he was captured and extradited.
If convicted, Cavazos-DeLuna faces 10 years to life in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine each sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
This charge is part of an investigation by Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state , and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant US Attorneys in the Eastern District of Texas.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Office of Enforcement Operations worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Cavazos to the United States. Special thanks to the Government of Mexico for their assistance in the capture and extradition of Cavazos-DeLuna.
An accusation is not proof of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
