RICHLAND, Wash.-A man from Colima, Mexico will serve over 11-years in prison after pleading guilty to drug charges that included a child being used to transport meth.
Amado De La Mora Cardenas,35, was sentenced on August 23 in U.S. District Court in Richland for his role in a meth trafficking organization in the Tri-Cities and Connell area.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the eastern District of Washington a 2020 investigation into the organization identified De La Mora Cardenas as a suspect who made arrangements for delivery of a 10-pound bag of meth from another suspect who brought a four-year-old child to the transaction.
The suspects and the child with a Spider-Man backpack were captured on surveillance video and DEA Tri-Cities stopped the suspect’s car and about 10-pounds of meth were found in the child’s backpack according to today’s press release.
“Drug distribution continues to harm the Tri-Cities and elsewhere,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref. “It is particularly troubling that Mr. De La Mora Cardenas participated in a drug transaction where a four-year old child was used to conceal distribution activities.”
In addition to serving 136 months (11 years) in prison, De La Mora Cardenas must also serve five years of federal supervision after his release.
