Jefferson Alejandro Lopez Alcaraz, a 45-year-old resident of Phoenix, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison following his involvement in drug trafficking activities. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge John T. Tuchi on February 13, 2025. This sentence will run consecutively with a previous five-year sentence Lopez Alcaraz is serving for another case identified as CR-21-00451-TUC-JCH.
Lopez Alcaraz's co-defendant, Jaime Solorio-Torres, received a 57-month prison sentence on March 20, 2023. The events leading to these sentences began on February 1, 2022, when the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted surveillance at a residence in Phoenix. Agents observed Solorio-Torres arriving in a Toyota Prius and carrying a cooler into the residence where he met with Lopez Alcazar. Upon leaving the premises with the cooler and driving away, agents stopped the vehicle and discovered it contained 6.5 kilograms of fentanyl pills.
A subsequent search warrant for the residence revealed an additional cache of drugs and firearms: approximately nine kilograms of fentanyl pills, 248 grams of methamphetamine, around 239 grams of Xanax pills, 6.6 grams of cocaine, $26,532 in cash, along with six firearms—two reported stolen—and a drug ledger.
The investigation was carried out by the DEA's Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart J. Zander from the District of Arizona managed the prosecution.