TUCSON, Ariz. — A Southern Arizona man was sentenced June 17 to 14 years in prison for trafficking drugs into the United States. The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI and the DEA.
“The sentence imposed on the defendant sends a clear message that there are serious consequences to trafficking deadly drugs into the United States,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Francisco B. Burrola. “HSI, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to seek out and bring to justice those involved in the illicit drug trade.”
Dennis Francis Kaleohano Kelly, 45, of Tucson, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and international money laundering Nov. 17, 2023.
Between November 2020 and August 2021, Kelly supervised and directed several co-conspirators to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl on his behalf. Kelly personally mailed multiple packages of methamphetamine to Hawaii and New Mexico for further distribution and wired thousands of dollars in drug proceeds to the source of supply in Mexico. Kelly was arrested in August 2021, after receiving approximately 10,000 fentanyl pills from a drug courier.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Strike Force (OCDETF) operation. The OCDETF Strike Force Initiative identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multiagency approach.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Arizona in Tucson Ashley Culver and David Petermann prosecuted the case.