Attorney General's Operation Ceasefire Secures 12 Year Sentence for Cocaine Trafficking by Mexican Drug Trafficking Organization 

~ Operation Ceasefire secures 150 month prison sentence for major drug trafficker ~

RICHMOND, Va. – Attorney General Jason Miyares has announced that a Brownsville, Texas man was sentenced yesterday to 150 months in prison for participating in a conspiracy to possess and distribute nearly 40 kilograms of cocaine. This conviction and sentencing is part of the Attorney General’s Operation Ceasefire initiative, a proven approach to address gun and gang violence through prosecution and prevention.

According to court documents, in and around April 2023, Carlos Alfonso Gonzalez, 31, agreed with a Mexico-based source of supply to transport a load of cocaine from Houston, Texas, to Richmond, Virginia. On or about April 29, 2023, Gonzalez picked up a load of cocaine in Houston and traveled in a commercial semi-tractor trailer truck to Virginia in order to distribute the cocaine to two traffickers connected to a Mexican drug trafficking organization (his co-conspirators). On May 1, 2023, Gonzalez arrived at a truck stop in Disputanta, Virginia to meet with two co-conspirators. At this meeting location, Gonzalez distributed to his co-conspirators three duffel bags containing 39.9 kilograms of cocaine.

After the co-conspirators departed the area with the cocaine, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on the co-conspirators’ vehicle and recovered 39.9 kilograms of cocaine. Following the cocaine seizure, law enforcement stopped Gonzalez and placed him under arrest. At the time of the offense, Gonzalez was on federal supervised release for a prior federal drug trafficking crime in the Southern District of Texas.

“Operation Ceasefire just delivered a resounding message to those drug traffickers looking to exploit innocent Virginians: justice will prevail,” said Attorney General Miyares. “Together, we stand firm in our commitment to upholding the law and ensuring a safer Virginia. This successful prosecution not only safeguards our communities but also serves as a stark reminder that those engaging in illegal enterprises will face severe consequences.” 

Gonzalez was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment for charges of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. Gonzalez was sentenced to an additional term of 30 months in prison for violating his federal supervised release stemming from his prior conviction.

Attorney General Miyares; Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; and Colonel Jeffrey S. Katz, Chesterfield County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik S. Siebert and Shea Gibbons and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and Virginia Assistant Attorney General Ellen Hubbard prosecuted the case.

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