Jovany Alonso Robledo-Delgado, 35, was sentenced to 41 months in prison on June 29, 2021 for smuggling narcotics stemming from an illegal drug tunnel found under his Nogales, Arizona house.
Jovany rented the home. On Dec. 17, 2019, special agents executed a search warrant at the house he was renting in Nogales, Arizona. In the house, special agents discovered a subterranean tunnel down to the International Outfall Interceptor (IOI).
The IOI is a wastewater pipeline that begins at the Mexican border and flows north to a plant that treats waste water from Nogales, Sonora, and cities in Arizona pursuant to an agreement between the United States and Mexico.
Inside Jovany’s residence, agents found large amounts of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin. Jovany was discovered hiding under a bed in the house.
Jovany told agents that he constructed the tunnel so he could breach the IOI and retrieve packages of drugs that floated through the IOI from Mexico into the United States. He was being paid $3,000 for each smuggling attempt.
Jovany pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin.
The Homeland Security Phoenix Special Agent in Charge says:
“This sentence reflects the seriousness of narcotics smuggling and the lack of tolerance for the endangerment to our communities. HSI special agents are deeply committed to disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking efforts on the border.”
