Four California residents were charged and each plead guilty after Oklahoma State Troopers found more than 55,000 fentanyl-laced pills during an I-40 traffic stop.
On Thursday, Ambrocio Arroyo, 30, of California, was sentenced to serve 200 months in federal prison for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute.
On June 21, 2022, a federal grand jury returned a two-count Indictment against Arroyo and three other co-defendants, Destiny Ruby Lopez, 20, Daniel Ochoa, 32, and Kevin Earl Tooks, 38, all of California, charging the four with drug conspiracy and possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute.
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According to an affidavit, in May 2022, Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers pulled over two vehicles traveling through Beckham County for speeding violations on I-40.
The vehicles were being driven by Arroyo and Ochoa, with Lopez and Tooks riding as passengers.
The Indictment alleges that troopers could smell marijuana coming from both vehicles, which ultimately led OHP troopers to find approximately 15 pounds of fentanyl-laced pills hidden inside a rear door panel of the car driven by Arroyo.
On November 30, 2022, Arroyo pleaded guilty and admitted to driving through the Western District of Oklahoma with the intention of distributing pills that contained at least 400 grams of fentanyl.
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At the sentencing on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Jodi W. Dishman sentenced Arroyo to serve 200 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. In announcing her sentence, Judge Dishman noted the amount of fentanyl seized, stating that the 55,614 fentanyl-laced pills found in the car driven by Arroyo was a significant amount of fentanyl.
The other three defendants have already been sentenced in this case, each pleading guilty to drug conspiracy, with Lopez sentenced to 36 months, Tooks sentenced to 188 months, and Ochoa sentenced to 218 months in federal prison.
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