A Mexican national has been sentenced in connection to a drug conspiracy and attempted possession of methamphetamine. U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson announced that Luis Enrique Rios-Soriano, aged 25, received a 140-month prison sentence and five years of supervised release from U.S. District Judge John D. Russell.
In June 2024, the Texas Department of Public Safety stopped a vehicle for traffic violations. A search revealed a suitcase with 21 plastic bags of a substance suspected to be methamphetamine. The driver confessed to being paid $4,000 to deliver the drugs to Tulsa.
The Drug Enforcement Administration confirmed that the substance was indeed methamphetamine. Agents replaced it with a fake substance and permitted the driver to proceed with the delivery. The driver then met with Rios-Soriano and Morgan Ashley Kirby, aged 20, to exchange the fake methamphetamine for further distribution.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol later stopped Rios-Soriano's vehicle, with Kirby as a passenger. Inside, they found over 46 pounds of fake methamphetamine and cash on the passenger side floorboard. Court documents indicate that Rios-Soriano admitted to being part of a scheme to profit from distributing and selling methamphetamine.
Kirby, Rios-Soriano’s co-defendant, was found guilty by a jury in February for her role in the drug conspiracy and attempted possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Her sentencing is pending.
Rios-Soriano will remain in custody until his transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration offices in Tulsa and Amarillo, along with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Bailey and Christian Harris led the prosecution.