CAMDEN, N.J. — A 54-year-old man from Mexico pleaded guilty Monday to a drug conspiracy charge tied to the seizure of more than 260 pounds of methamphetamine, the largest such seizure in New Jersey history, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey said.
Carlos H. Cordero-Gutierrez, of Juarez City, Mexico, entered the plea in federal court in Camden before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams. He admitted to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, a charge filed by information.
He is the second defendant to plead guilty in the case. Co-defendant Marcos Cesar Acosta pleaded guilty to the same charge before Williams on Aug. 5 and is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 17.
According to prosecutors, Cordero-Gutierrez collected a shipment in a tractor-trailer in Texas in April and drove it to New Jersey, arriving April 28. Officers arrested him and Acosta at a delivery location the two had arranged in advance.
Inside the truck’s cab, officers found three black storage boxes, a duffel bag and a garbage bag. Together they held more than 260 pounds of methamphetamine, prosecutors said.
The conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life, along with a fine of up to $10 million. Cordero-Gutierrez’s sentencing is scheduled for March 23, 2027.
U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced the plea. He credited the Drug Enforcement Administration’s MOPOD Enforcement Group 11 and Camden Resident Office, under Special Agent in Charge Towanda R. Thorne-James, along with Homeland Security Investigations, under Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy; the FBI’s Newark office, under Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy; and IRS-Criminal Investigation, under Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan, with the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Garelick of the office’s Criminal Division in Trenton is prosecuting the case. Cordero-Gutierrez is represented by James P. Maguire of the Office of the Federal Public Defender. Acosta is represented by attorney Margaret M. Grasso.
This report is based on information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office press release
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