Leader of group that distributed drugs in Indianapolis gets 30 years in prison, feds say

A California man whom authorities say led an organization that distributed drugs in the Indianapolis area has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.

Ricardo Ochoa-Beltran, 30, was the leader of a drug-trafficking and money-laundering organization that operated out of California and Indiana, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday. The organization distributed methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine in the Indianapolis area from early 2016 until his arrest in July 2017.

Ochoa-Beltran's organization obtained drugs in various ways, including via packages that were shipped from California to Indiana. Authorities intercepted hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of controlled substances over the course of their investigation, the DOJ said.

Ochoa-Beltran laundered the money his organization generated by funneling it through 30 different bank accounts, sending wire transfers to Mexico, using false sender names through wire transfers and smuggling cash in bulk, authorities said.

He pleaded guilty to federal charges of drug trafficking and money laundering, the DOJ said.

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Tanya Walton Pratt, federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, sentenced Ochoa-Beltran to 30 years in prison, according to the DOJ. Ochoa-Beltran will also serve five years of supervised release following his prison term, the DOJ said.

“Members of drug trafficking organizations, such as the one led by Ochoa-Beltran, who choose to peddle drugs into Indianapolis neighborhoods will be identified and prosecuted to the full extent of the law," U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler said in a press release.

Eight others allegedly involved in Ochoa-Beltran's organization have also been sentenced to federal prison, the DOJ said. Their sentences range from 260 to 18 months in prison.

Miguel Lara-Leon, who, according to a federal grand jury indictment, allegedly acted as a distributor for the organization, was sentenced to 260 months.

Call IndyStar reporter Andrew Clark at 317-444-6484 or email him at andrew.clark@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Clarky_Tweets.