Mexican Citizen Sentenced

PHOENIX Oscar Manuel Ibarra-Guicho, 33, of Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen M. McNamee to 70 months in federal prison for Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Ibarra-Guicho pleaded guilty to the charge on December 20, 2007. In the course of his guilty plea, Ibarra-Guicho admitted that on December 5, 2006, he possessed 137 grams of a substance that contained 123.1 grams of pure methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it. At the time of the offense, Ibarra-Guicho was observed by law enforcement officers at a gas station located at the Hondah Casino on the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation. Ibarra-Guicho was taken into custody through a probable cause arrest on an unrelated matter and his car was searched after his arrest. The arresting officers found the methamphetamine in Ibarra-Guicho's car. After waiving his Miranda rights, Ibarra-Guicho admitted that the drugs were his, that he had just made a delivery and that he had intended to sell the rest of the methamphetamine to others. Ibarra-Guicho was in federal custody at the time of his sentencing and will remain in federal custody pending the completion of his sentence. He was previously legally admitted into the U.S. as a non-immigrant and then remained in the country without authorization. Since Ibarra-Guicho is presently a Mexican citizen who overstayed his visit and has a drug trafficking conviction, he is subject to deportation. Deportation proceedings will commence upon the completion of his federal prison sentence.