A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Cesar Delfin-Cervantes to nearly 16 years in federal prison after prosecutors and federal agents accused him of leading a multistate methamphetamine trafficking network. The conviction followed a five-month probe that authorities say turned up more than 215 pounds of meth tied to the organization, a haul highlighted in an announcement from the DEA Seattle field office.
According to a post by DEA Seattle, prosecutors announced the sentence and said investigators seized more than 215 pounds of methamphetamine during the five-month investigation. The post also tagged the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Idaho, underscoring the coordinated federal effort behind the case.
What investigators say about the takedown
The DEA post says agents seized more than 215 pounds of methamphetamine during the five-month operation, with shipments moving across state lines and tied to international smuggling channels. Delfin-Cervantes was described as “a leader in a multistate and international drug trafficking organization,” language that signals federal authorities viewed the case as part of a broader network rather than a local street operation.
Federal context: meth and the shifting drug threat
Federal law enforcement has increasingly targeted large meth shipments as part of efforts to disrupt cartel networks that now produce and ship high-purity meth into the United States. According to the DEA, Mexican cartels supply most of the meth available in the country, and stimulant trafficking remains a major enforcement priority.
Data from the CDC show that deaths involving psychostimulant drugs, which include methamphetamine, have risen over the last decade. That trend helps explain why federal agents put so much emphasis on large seizures and cartel-linked prosecutions like this one…