DOJ Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, July 11, 2022

Kansas Man Sentenced in International Drug Smuggling Ring

KANSAS CITY, KAN.– A Kansas man was sentenced to 144 months in prison for his role in an international drug trafficking ring. 

Back in April 2022, Jovanny Medina, 24, of Kansas City, Kansas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. According to court documents, Medina took part in a conspiracy to traffic illegal narcotics sourced from his family in Mexico in the Kansas City metro area. His primary role in the operation was to import and distribute multi-kilogram quantities of methamphetamine, collect drug debts, and transport bulk United States currency from Kansas City to Mexico. 

“As long as drug smugglers infiltrate our borders and peddle poison into our communities, the Department of Justice will remain vigilant in arresting and prosecuting offenders with the deliberate intention of dismantling these criminal enterprises,” said U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard.  

U.S. Attorney Slinkard commends the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for their collaborative investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Catania who prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The Kansas City Metro Strike Force’s mission also includes targeting violent street gangs and cartel members operating in and around the metropolitan area that are engaged in violent offenses and firearms offenses.

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