Norton Shores man among 9 sentenced in drug-trafficking ring

Grand Haven Tribune, Mich.
·2 min read

Apr. 19—GRAND RAPIDS — A Lansing man was sentenced Monday in federal court in Grand Rapids to 137 months imprisonment for his role in a nine-person drug trafficking conspiracy.

A Muskegon County man was sentenced earlier for his role in the conspiracy.

The drug-trafficking conspiracy involved current and former inmates of the Michigan Department of Corrections procuring methamphetamine and heroin from Mexico and distributing the drugs in West Michigan and elsewhere. The conspiracy spanned 11 Michigan counties in Michigan — including Ottawa, Muskegon and Kent — and also involved the distribution of buprenorphine (Suboxone) and methamphetamine inside correctional facilities.

Jesus Cortez, 40, is the ninth person to be convicted in the ring, U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced Monday.

Eight of the nine defendants charged in the superseding indictment were convicted following guilty pleas. One defendant, Arnulfo Trevino, died of natural causes after his guilty plea but before sentencing.

Also sentenced in the drug-trafficking ring was Carlos Martinez (aka "Los"), 41, of Norton Shores, and Luis Alberto Cruz, 31, of Detroit. They both received the highest sentences in the case: Each will serve 20 years in federal prison.

Others sentenced in the ring were: Umberto Gavier Cruz, 67, of Covert; Emmanuel Alfonso Ventura, 29, of Grand Rapids; Rocky Joseph Krupa, 47, of Traverse City; Sarah Joy McBride, 32, of Allegan; and Cecil William Wallis, 34, of Twin Lake.

Two of the eight defendants convicted, Luis Cruz and Emmanuel Ventura, were serving sentences in the Michigan Department of Corrections throughout the conspiracy. Another three defendants — Martinez, Krupa and Cortez — joined the conspiracy almost immediately upon release from prison.

"The most troubling aspect of this conspiracy was the defendants' use of the Michigan Department of Corrections as a recruiting center and distribution hub for a transnational drug conspiracy with ties to traffickers in Mexico," Birge said. "Through a strong partnership with our state and local law enforcement teams, my office will continue to prosecute those who jeopardize the security of Michigan's correctional facilities by using them in their criminal enterprises. Those who choose to sell drugs during and after their release from prison will face harsh federal sentences, as is reflected in the judgments of the District Court."

The investigation and prosecution were part of an Organized Drug Enforcement Task Force operation called Operation Prison Break. The Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Michigan Department of Corrections, the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office, and the Michigan State Police and its sponsored drug-trafficking task forces (including the West Michigan Enforcement Team) investigated the case.