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The Mexican national arrested in connection with a major drug seizure in Green Bay has been sentenced.
U.S. District Attorney Brad Schimel has announced that 51-year-old Ruben Salgado-Espinoza has been ordered to spend just over 14 years in prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine and illegally re-entering the United States.
Court records indicate that Salgado-Espinoza had been deported in 1998 and 2022 prior to his arrest for distributing hundreds of kilograms of cocaine.
His compound was said to have been operating out of Rockford, Illinois, where he received bulk shipments of cocaine from a source of supply in Mexico.
Salgado-Espinoza would use modified vehicles, outfitted with what were referred to as “sophisticated hidden compartments” to conceal the drugs and transport them.
During his arrest, he was found to be in possession of around 30 kilos of cocaine, making it the largest cocaine bust in Green Bay history.
Attorney Schimel said that this case “demonstrates why we must keep our border secure.”
John McGarry, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Milwaukee District Office, said it “sends a clear message: those who lead large-scale drug trafficking operations will be identified, prosecuted, and held accountable.”
