Date: January 23, 2012
Contact: Jodie Underwood
Number: (206) 553-1162
California Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine Trafficking
BOISE, Idaho -  Juan Carlos Morales-Cardenas, 37, of San Bernardino, California, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court in Boise to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
According to the plea agreement, Morales-Cardenas joined a group of individuals involved in distributing methamphetamine in Idaho and elsewhere. He supplied methamphetamine to others who transported the methamphetamine to Idaho. The defendant also traveled to Idaho to meet with his co-conspirators, during which time he sold methamphetamine to them. The charge is punishable by a minimum term of 10 years up to life in prison, a maximum fine of $10 million, and at least five years supervised release.
Sentencing is set for April 16, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Boise.
To date, the following eight co-conspirators have been sentenced to federal prison on related drug trafficking charges:
 Juan Salto-Vivanco, Caldwell, Idaho, 108 months
 Juan Ramirez-Bolanos, Caldwell, 115 months
 Eugenio Arrela-Villa, Caldwell, Idaho, 70 months
 Noel Salto-Vivanco, Caldwell, 87 months
 Fernando Luna-Rodriguez, El Sinore, California, 30 months
 Ricardo Payan-Beltran, Mexican national, 30 months
 Jose Cirilo-Duran, Weiser, Idaho, 27 months
 Francisca Salto-Flores, Caldwell, 13 months
The investigation was the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug
Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the
Nampa Police Department.