A 48-year-old man from Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his role in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy in Phoenix, prosecutors announced this week.
Jorge Anaya-Valencia, who was unlawfully living in Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Krissa M. Lanhamto 180 months in prison. He also received an additional six months for violating a previous supervised release tied to a prior drug conviction.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, Anaya-Valencia was identified by DEA investigators in late 2023 as a member of a trafficking network. On Jan. 23, 2024, agents observed him overseeing the transfer of multiple containers from a Ford F-150 pickup into a Chevrolet Tahoe driven by one of his associates.
When law enforcement moved in, agents seized approximately 76 kilograms (167 pounds) of methamphetamine, along with two firearms — one hidden in Anaya-Valencia’s vehicle and another carried by co-defendant Jesus Manuel Soto Quihui.
Soto Quihui was previously sentenced to five years in prison, while fellow conspirators Diego Nunez-Aispuro and Ivan Manuel Higuera Torres each received 46 months.
Court records show that Anaya-Valencia has been removed from the United States 12 times and has nine prior criminal immigration convictions, in addition to a felony drug trafficking conviction.
The case was investigated by the DEA Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force HIDTA, with prosecution handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart J. Zander and Travis L. Wheeler.
