A Florida man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking ring.
Richard Aldo Melendez, 36, Wauchula, entered a guilty plea on August 28, 2023.
According to court documents, Melendez conspired with Ellen Jean Bivens, 25, Zolfo Springs, and Abdon Rivera, Jr., 33, Lake Wales, to distribute methamphetamine in Florida.
In late 2022, Melendez sold methamphetamine to undercover agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Read: FBI Uses File-Sharing Program To Bust Palm Harbor Man For Receiving, Possessing CSAM
Then, in January 2023, troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol, in coordination with the DEA, stopped Melendez and Bivens as they were returning from a trip to Texas.
A search of their vehicle yielded nearly 15 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Bivens was previously sentenced to 37 months in federal prison. Rivera has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
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