Jury convicts major southwest Virginia drug supplier

A federal jury convicted a Houston, Texas man last week for trafficking large quantities of high-purity methamphetamine from Mexico into Southwest Virginia.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Alonso Cantu-Cantu, 46, of Houston, Texas, was the major source of supply for a drug conspiracy that distributed more than 33 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and 6 kilograms of cocaine into Southwest Virginia through a multi-jurisdiction drug trafficking organization.

“This major conviction is the result of a six-year investigation. I’m proud of the collaborative work done to get this massive quantity of dangerous drugs – and dealers – off our streets,” said Attorney General Miyares.

Evidence presented at the trial showed that Cantu-Cantu received methamphetamine in 55-gallon drums that had been transported into the United States in water tankers directly from sources in Mexico. Cantu-Cantu then redistributed the drugs through distributors from Indiana, who ultimately distributed down the supply chain through the Western District of Virginia, from Harrisonburg to Bristol, Virginia. Many of these transactions were orchestrated through another major drug trafficker who was incarcerated in Virginia prisons during the conspiracy.

In all, the estimated street value of the methamphetamine and cocaine distributed during the course of the conspiracy was more than $1.4 million. Over 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, 125.4 grams of heroin, 94 grams of cocaine, and 7 firearms were seized, and 26 defendants have now been convicted over the course of the six-year investigation, which started with the investigation of street-level dealers in the Smyth County, Virginia, area.

On April 4, 2023, United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares made the announcement.

This investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bristol, Virginia Office, with assistance from the Smyth County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office. Numerous other agencies also provided assistance throughout the investigation, including the Drug Enforcement Administration in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Birmingham, Alabama, the Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office, the Abingdon, Virginia Police Department, the Rockingham County Virginia RUSH Drug Task Force, the Rockingham County Virginia Sheriff’s Office, the Harrisonburg, Virginia Police Department, the Bessemer, Alabama Police Department, the Virginia Department of Corrections, the Virginia Department of Corrections Probation and Parole Unit, and the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority.

Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, and Lena Busscher prosecuted the case for the United States.