NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A Durham North Carolina man was sentenced on Tuesday to 123 months in prison for his role in the attempted delivery of 59 kilograms of cocaine that was transported across the U.S. - Mexico border, the Department of Justice said.
On July 26, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations interceded a load of cocaine as it crossed the U.S. - Mexico border. The agents replaced the cocaine with an imitation substance and took the load to a truck stop in Providence, Forge to make a controlled delivery to the intended recipient, Jose Daniel Arellano Rodriguez, 36.
Arellano Rodriguez arrived at the truck stop with $90,000 in cash to take the delivery.
He was arrested at the truck stop and charged with attempted possession with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.
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.
