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ABINGDON, Va. (WJHL) — A man who was part of a reported organization that trafficked methamphetamine from Texas and Indiana into Southwest Virginia has been sentenced to 72 months in federal prison.
According to a release from the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Office of the Attorney General, Pedro Loza III, 28, of Bullhead City, Arizona, was sentenced to 72 months in prison. Loza was previously convicted on one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute and distributing 5 grams or more of meth.
The case took shape after indictments stemming from an ongoing methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy operating in the Smyth County, Virginia area were served and 26 people were charged in relation to the investigation, states the release.
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Five individuals were charged as being a part of the drug trafficking conspiracy, according to the attorney general. Paul Warren Rucker, who previously pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison in July 2022. Amber Lynn Tackett and Benjamin Alvis both entered guilty pleas and are scheduled for sentencing in April 2023. Alonso Cantu-Cantu, the lead defendant, is scheduled for trial in March 2023.
Bristol Virginia’s Drug Enforcement Administration’s Office led the investigation and was assisted by the Smyth County Virginia Sheriff’s Office.
