By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today the leader of a drug trafficking ring they said operated like a pizza delivery business, using runners and dispatchers and catering to customers from Pierce, Thurston, Lewis, Kitsap, and Grays Harbor counties, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Last summer, the Spanaway man was among 23 people arrested in a coordinated law enforcement effort targeting Mexican cartels distributing large amounts of heroin and methamphetamine in the region, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In asking for the lengthy prison term, prosecutors noted Jose Manuel Campos Pinedo, 34, dealt in black tar heroin, one of the drugs which has fueled cartel violence, according to a news release.
According to the U.S. State Department, there have been 22,700 narcotics related murders in Mexico since 2006, as Mexican cartels battle to decide who will control the supply of drugs, such as black tar heroin, into the United States, the news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated.
Read more about it in The (Tacoma) News Tribune, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
VHamilton, there are certain “minimum” times that the courts can give for certain cases, so it depends on the type of case it is, and what the person is convicted or found guilty of.
For example, murder. Yes, it is a very bad thing, yet there are so many different levels for it; Aggravated 1st degree, 1st degree, 2nd degree, 1st degree manslaughter, etc…
For aggravated 1st degree murder, there are only 2 choices: death penalty, or life in prison with no possibility of parole. there is no negotiation in there, it’s either one or the other.
For 1st degree murder, the minimum sentence is 20 years. This means you must serve at least those 20 years before you are eligible for release due to “good time” or anything else.
The sentences get lighter as you go along, but you see where I’m going with this, right? Does that mean that everyone charged with 1st degree murder will actually get convicted of that? Sadly, no. Prosecutors far too often will accept a plea bargain, and a murderer will only get something like 1st degree manslaughter instead, with the prison sentence commensurately shorter.
You find it happening time after time, especially with gang killings. They are charged with a crime, then allowed to plea to something much less. Why? Why are they letting gang members plea down to a much lesser crime (and a lighter sentence), especially when there is enough evidence to convict them of a more serious crime?
Then there are the drugs cases. Some drugs (heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, etc) are classified as very dangerous by the government, and for good reason. They are dangerous to use, dangerous to sell, dangerous to make or import.
So, there are FEDERAL sentencing guidelines that the state follows for drugs convictions. Those guidelines are typically not permitted to be changed, and you will rarely find a judge who will change them.
And there you can see where someone convicted of killing another person can be given punishment that is less than that of a person convicted of certain drugs offenses. It still doesn’t make it right, but you can see why.
I hope that helps….
JESSICA,
DON’T GET ME WRONG. TOP OF THE OVERDOSE/WORSE DRUGS IS HEROINE. ITS AWFUL. I’VE NEVER DONE IT NEVER PLAN TO, BUT I HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER WHO DOES. ITS UGLY, NASTY, AND VERY ADDICTING.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN LOCKED UP? HAVE A LOVED ONE INCARCERATED? For some reason, I’m gona guess “NO.” Good for you I might add!
10 YEARS IS A VERY LONG TIME, WHEN YOUR CONFINED DAILY TO A 15 BY 15 CELL, RECYCLED AIR BLOWIN THRU THE VENTS, NOT FRESH. OUTSIDE ONLY AN HOUR, MAYBE TWO A DAY. THATS IT. DO YOU KNOW THAT, THAT IS 5475 DAYS, 780 MONTHS, 13140 HOURS.
Did you know tHAT Austin Kings Murderer, only got 8 years! There were no drugs involved with that. 8 f ing Years for murder. 10 years for distribution, not for taking someones life, that is entirely up to the user. For GODS sake a child molester gets less time, so does a rapist. In some cases Driving on a suspended license gets more time than a pedifile.
SO PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME THE JUSTICE!!!!!!!! CUZ I DONT SEE ANY JUSTICE IN OUR PICK AND CHOOSE ASSUMMING JUSTICE SYSTEM.
BUFFALOED, THE PEOPLE ARE ALL BUFFALOED BY THE CORRUPTED LEGAL SYSTEM.
DO SOME RESEARCH, DISCOVER THE REAL TRUTHS. THEN MAKE JUDGEMENT. FACTS ARE HIDDEN, SO THE PEOPLE CAN BE EASLY MANIPULATED.
THE BRADY TRIAL; JUSTICE IS NOT SERVED. HE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN 20 YEARS, TO LIFE, AT LEAST FOR NO REMORSE. BUT, HALF JUSTICE IS A START. I SPOSE.
i mean 10 years
20 years that is all… he shouldve gotten way more… they need to see that giving out bs sentences like this show others that it is on they wont get that long if they do it too
NOW FOLKS……………THAT IS WHAT YOU CALL BIG TIME DON’T YOU THINK?
And a lot of those gangs are coming up here, selling their drugs, and killing innocent people… but we have a safe border, or at least that is what the person occupying the white house says…