A 36-year-old Tucson man will spend more than six years behind bars after admitting he ran an armed cocaine distribution operation, moving more than six kilograms of the drug while keeping firearms on hand. Senior U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins sentenced Roman Emilio Rascon Jr. to 78 months in federal prison last Tuesday, followed by five years of supervised release, after Rascon pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the case traces back to Rascon’s arrest in Tucson in August 2024. As part of his guilty plea, the court ordered Rascon to forfeit vehicles, firearms, ammunition, and drug proceeds accumulated during the operation. The FBI Phoenix field office confirmed the sentencing on social media, noting that Rascon distributed the cocaine while armed.
As part of the conspiracy, Roman Emilio Rascon Jr., 36, of Tucson, Arizona, distributed more than six kilograms of cocaine and possessed firearms when he… https://t.co/LSZcrOdDlu
How the Case Moved Through Federal Court
Federal court records reviewed by PacerMonitor show Rascon’s case, numbered 4:24-cr-05214, was opened in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona in August 2024, with defense representation provided by retained attorneys from Suzuki Law Offices. The docket indicates the case began with an initial appearance and detention hearing before federal magistrate judges in Tucson before eventually landing before Judge Collins, a Bill Clinton nominee to the federal bench in 1998 who later served as Chief Judge of the District of Arizona from 2013 to 2018 after starting his legal career as a Pima County prosecutor…