Mexican National Sentenced to Over Nine Years for Cocaine Trafficking and Repeated Illegal Reentry

Anastacio Santiago Chaparro was caught with 10 kilograms of cocaine and had already been deported three times following a felony firearm conviction.

A Mexican citizen who reentered the United States illegally after three deportations and a prior felony conviction has been sentenced to 110 months in federal prison for cocaine trafficking and immigration violations, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Anastacio Santiago Chaparro, also known as Arnoldo Urquidez, 41, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel in Camden to possession with intent to distribute over 10 kilograms of cocaine and illegal reentry after removal by a convicted felon. The sentence, delivered this week, also includes three years of supervised release and requires Santiago Chaparro to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings.

According to court records, Santiago Chaparro was apprehended on November 6, 2023, while transporting a backpack filled with cocaine intended for distribution. Prosecutors noted that this arrest marked at least his third illegal reentry into the United States. His record includes a prior aggravated felony conviction for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited Homeland Security Investigations in Newark and the Drug Enforcement Administration in New York for leading the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chana Y. Zuckier of the Bank Integrity, Money Laundering, and Recovery Unit prosecuted the case.