ANDERSON, S.C. — Jesus Paz Rodriguez, 30, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
Evidence presented to the court showed that Paz-Rodriguez was the source of at least 60 kilograms of cocaine from approximately 2019 until his arrest in February 2022. During the conspiracy, Paz was shipped large amounts of cocaine from his home state of Arizona to Upstate South Carolina. Members of the drug trafficking organization would then courier or ship drug proceeds from South Carolina back to Paz-Rodriguez in the border state. On Feb. 9, 2022, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at a location in Mauldin, South Carolina, used by the traffickers to store and distribute drugs. Investigators found Paz-Rodriguez and co-conspirators with multiple kilograms of cocaine.
United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain sentenced Paz-Rodriguez to 120 months imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Lea Schoen is prosecuting the case.
