Prison time for man on drug charges illegally living in Ontario

By on Tuesday, December 17th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News

ONTARIO — (Press Release from the Office of United State Attorney)

 Efren Alexander Aviles-Pacheco, 29, of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, illegally living in Ontario, Oregon, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.

Senior U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill also sentenced Aviles-Pacheco to serve 10 years of supervised release, but advised Aviles-Pacheco that he will most certainly be deported to Mexico after serving his sentence.

According to court records, Aviles-Pacheco, was arrested on November 22, 2022, in a motel room in Nampa. He was found in possession of 122 grams of methamphetamine, 365 grams of fentanyl, 29 grams of cocaine, $3,415 in cash, and a 9mm handgun. He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on August 5, 2024. In 2019, Aviles-Pacheco was previously convicted of the same charge in the District of Idaho. On February 12, 2019, Aviles-Pacheco was sentenced to 46 months in prison and was deported to Mexico after serving his sentence. Shortly after being deported, he returned to the United States and resumed his drug trafficking activities. At sentencing, Judge Winmill found that he was likely responsible for the death of at least two individuals who overdosed on drugs provided by him. Judge Winmill stated that “if ever there was a case that screamed out for a long prison sentence, this is the case.” Aviles-Pacheco is prohibited from possessing firearms due to his status of being an illegal alien, yet in both of his federal cases, he possessed handguns.

Aviles-Pacheco is the latest member of an Ontario, Oregon family that has been convicted of drug trafficking crimes.

  • Aviles-Pacheco’s father, Efren Ramon Aviles-Lopez, a/k/a Marcelo Sanchez-Espinoza, was sentenced in the District of Idaho in 2015 to serve 20 years for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine;
  • His mother, Alma Loreno Pacheco-Ortiz, was sentenced in 2024 in the District of Oregon to time served and five years of supervised release after she was arrested transporting 40 pounds of methamphetamine, a kilo of heroin, and a firearm;
  • His grandfather, Efren Avilez-Lopez, was sentenced in 2024 to 9 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 20 pounds of methamphetamine in the District of Idaho;
  • His grandmother, Maria Medina-Zeveda, was sentenced in 2024 to 37 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 20 pounds of methamphetamine in the District of Idaho;
  • His uncle, Victor Pacheco-Ortiz, was sentenced in 2024 to five years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 21 pounds of methamphetamine in the District of Idaho; and
  • His sister, Esmeralda Aviles-Pacheco, was indicted, on December 10, 2024, on two counts of distributing methamphetamine and one count of distributing fentanyl in the District of Idaho.
  • On December 11, 2024, she appeared in court on the indictment and entered a not guilty plea. A trial was scheduled for February 10, 2025.

“Through his repeated involvement in this longstanding drug trafficking operation in Oregon, this defendant has earned every day of his 15-year sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “I commend our prosecutors and thank our law enforcement partners—in both Idaho and Oregon—for dismantling criminal networks like this one and eliminating drug distribution pathways into Idaho.”

“We at the Drug Enforcement Administration and our partners work tirelessly to protect our community from people who sell drugs that harm and kill our citizens,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “Repeat offenders like Mr. Aviles-Pacheco richly deserve long

prison terms, since it is clear that there is no other way to keep our communities safe from them. Make no mistake: If you deal drugs in Idaho, our team will hold you accountable.”

U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the work of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Nampa Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the High Desert Drug Task Force, with assistance from the Payette County Task Force, which led to the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian S. Nafzger prosecuted the case.

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.

The High Desert Drug Task Force is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force that identifies, disrupts, and dismantles local, multi-state, and international drug trafficking organizations using an intelligence-driven, multi-agency prosecutor-supported approach. They are supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).

An indictment is merely an allegation and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Elkhorn Media Group