Kansas City, Kansas – A 34-year-old man, Edwar Salazar-Belleda, got an 8.5-year jail term for his role in a drug ring based around Kansas City, with connections to Mexico. He admitted to conspiring to deal and have a large amount of meth, over 50 grams.
According to the Department of Justice, Salazar-Belleda was part of a big drug group that brought meth from Mexico. This group also sent money illegally through wire transfers to people in Mexico and California.
Between August 2019 and May 2021, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations carried out a secret probe. They bought meth, heroin, and guns during this. Romel Alvarado-Calderon, 27, from Kansas City, Kansas, was in charge of this operation, and Salazar-Belleda worked as a middleman.
In April 2021, Edwar Salazar-Belleda was caught when police found a trash bag with about 7.6 kilograms of very pure meth (98.6%) in his hotel room. They also found scales, more meth, heroin, a stolen gun, and bullets in his suitcase. During the investigation, law enforcement took or bought over 150 kilograms of meth, more than 11 ounces of heroin, marijuana, and several guns.
Romel Alvarado-Calderon, Victor Troches-Reyes, 42, Hervey Moreno-Gonzalez, 32, Jesus Vigil-Canales, 44, and Victor Pardo-Jimenez, 34, all admitted to conspiring to sell and have more than 50 grams of meth. Juana Infante-Garcia, 36, Gabriela Garcia-Rojas, 28, and Sergio Galvez-Rodriguez, 34, confessed to conspiring to clean drug money.
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There are more people involved whose trials are still going on. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigation looked into this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle McFarlane, David Zabel, and Sheri Catania were in charge of the prosecution.
