A federal judge sentenced a former Tucson resident who served as a mayor in Mexico to 21 years in prison on drug trafficking charges.
Arturo Reyes Trujillo, former mayor of Fronteras, Sonora, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to commit money laundering, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release Wednesday.Â
Fronteras is located about 45 miles south of Agua Prieta, the Mexican city that abuts Douglas, Arizona.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Trujillo, 43, was the head of a drug-trafficking organization from 2003 to 2007 while he lived in Tucson. During that time, he shipped about 1,000 kilograms of cocaine to various parts of the United States and laundered about $20 million. Authorities seized 77 kilograms of cocaine and nearly $500,000 during the investigation.Â
