Photo Courtesy of DEA
According to federal officials, Uribe also facilitated the transport of large quantities of cocaine from Ecuador to the United States.
By Forum Staff
An international drug distributor who used a Queens jewelry store to launder millions of dollars in narcotics proceeds has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, federal authorities announced on Friday.
Salvador Jimenez Uribe, 52, also known as “Salvador Uribe Jimenez,” pleaded guilty in 2016 to international cocaine importation conspiracy, international narcotics distribution conspiracy, narcotics distribution conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy.
According to court filings, Uribe smuggled cocaine, marijuana, and heroin across the United States-Mexico border, concealing the drugs in tractor-trailer trucks operated by associates of Mexican drug cartels and delivering the product to co-conspirators in the New York-area. Uribe also facilitated the transport of large quantities of cocaine from Ecuador to the U.S., hiding the white powder in the flaps of cardboard boxes containing bananas, shipped by an Ecuadorian company.
“The defendant trafficked kilograms of cocaine and heroin from South America and Mexico for distribution in the United States, flooding our streets with dangerous drugs, and laundered millions of dollars in narcotics proceeds,” said Richard Donoghue, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. “This sentence demonstrates that those who seek to profit from importing and distributing narcotics in our country will be held accountable.”
