(WTAQ-WLUK) — Five individuals, including two from Appleton, were sentenced Wednesday to federal prison for methamphetamine trafficking and money laundering in the Fox Valley.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, two men from Appleton and three men from the state of Washington were involved in the scheme.
- Mario Rodriguez Diaz, 32, of Moxee, Washington – Convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; sentenced to 14 years in prison
- Luis Leon, 29, of Appleton – Convicted of money laundering; sentenced to seven years in prison
- Rodrigo Diaz, 27, of Moxee, Washington – Convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; sentenced to 6.5+ years in prison
- Juli Vargas-Rodriguez, 39, of Appleton – Convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; sentenced to 6 years in prison
- Darius Robinson, 28, of Tacoma, Washington – Convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; sentenced to 6 years in prison
Officials said Rodriguez Diaz was the leader of the drug trafficking operation, obtaining “several hundred pounds” of methamphetamine from Mexico and paying couriers, including Robinson, to distribute it across the U.S. from 2021 to 2022.
Leon and Vargas-Rodriguez, who lived and operated in the Fox Valley, received large quantities of the methamphetamine from a courier approximately 1-2 times per month, distributing over three pounds per week.
Rodriguez Diaz oversaw the organization’s finances and frequently traveled to Appleton, Wisconsin, to pick up cash that Luis Leon and Julio Cesar Vargas Rodriguez earned from methamphetamine distribution. Drug proceeds were also concealed in bank accounts of a Limited Liability Company (LLC) registered to Luis Leon.
Approximately $300,000 in cash, 125 pounds of methamphetamine, several vehicles and dozens of firearms were seized as a result of the investigation.
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