Jesus Navarrate, 48, a Mexican citizen, has been sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr. announced the sentence Wednesday.
According to information presented in court, in February 2009, a federal grand jury in the Western District of Tennessee returned a one-count indictment charging Navarrate with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. §846.
The investigation into his drug trafficking organization began in September 2007. The organization was found to be responsible for importing approximately 1,950 kilograms of cocaine from Mexico to the Western District of Tennessee utilizing vehicles with hidden compartments.
Navarrate was extradited from Mexico to the Western District of Tennessee to face charges.
In November 2020, the defendant pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute 450 kilograms or more of cocaine.
On June 28, 2021, U.S. District Court Judge John T. Fowlkes, Jr., sentenced Navarrate to 240 months imprisonment to be followed by 5 years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. This prosecution is part of an investigation conducted by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).
OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking organizations and organized criminal enterprises, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Kimbril-Parks and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerry Kitchen prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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