Jesus Ignacio Medina-Leyva, a 29-year-old from Culiacan, Mexico, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking and money laundering conspiracy. The sentence was announced by Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and was handed down by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.
A federal grand jury indicted Medina-Leyva and 31 others on November 2, 2017. The indictment charged him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Medina-Leyva pleaded guilty to both counts on April 10, 2025.
According to investigators, Medina-Leyva and his co-defendants were involved in trafficking methamphetamine, laundering money, and committing various federal firearms violations. He was arrested while entering the United States from Canada on August 6, 2024, based on a warrant related to these charges. To date, authorities report that 26 of his co-defendants have also been convicted and sentenced.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Miller ordered Medina-Leyva to serve three years of supervised release after completing his sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF targets major criminal organizations that threaten the United States through a prosecutor-led approach involving multiple agencies driven by intelligence gathering. More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration with support from several other agencies including Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, North Little Rock Police Department, Conway Police Department, Sherwood Police Department, Arkansas State Police, and Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office.
“This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.”
