SAN DIEGO — A former San Diego-based U.S. Marine who coordinated the trafficking of fentanyl and other drugs into the United States was sentenced Friday to 12 years in federal prison.
While stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Roberto Salazar II recruited people to work as couriers -- including fellow former Marines -- to transport drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Along with fentanyl, prosecutors say Salazar directed the movement of heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine and sometimes transported those drugs personally.
Salazar's plea agreement states these activities stretched from around 2015 until early last year. Prosecutors say "dozens'' of smuggling incidents occurred under Salazar's direction.
His plea agreement outlined a few of these events, including one occasion where Salazar paid a classmate at Southwestern Community College to drive a car loaded with drugs across the border, then deliver the product to various locations for further distribution.
One ex-Marine recruited by Salazar smuggled drugs into the country on five occasions. In contrast, another ex-Marine moved drugs both into and within the United States multiple times until being arrested at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, where just under 15 pounds of fentanyl were found hidden in the engine compartment of the car the former Marine was driving, according to the plea agreement.
During Salazar's sentencing hearing in San Diego federal court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Miller said Salazar's movement of drugs such as fentanyl into the U.S. contributed to the "poisoning (of) our citizens, the very citizens he was sworn to protect.''
Defense attorney Andrew Nietor argued for a sentence of just over eight years and said his client was "extremely remorseful and ashamed of his conduct.''
Nietor told U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino that Salazar fell into criminal activity in his youth but could pull away from that life, become a U.S. Marine, and father to a young daughter.
Financial troubles later plagued him, and while trying to find a way to support his child as a single father, he fell back into his former life, the attorney said.
Salazar told the judge, "I know I made a mistake. I got out of this before. I tried to stay on the right path.''
Following the hearing, U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said Salazar's prosecution and prison sentence represented the dismantling of ``another link in the supply chain for fentanyl and deadly drugs into the United States.''
Grossman said that while serving as a Marine, Salazar was "leading a secret life as a drug trafficker. He was supposed to be protecting and defending our country. Still, instead, he was bringing tremendous harm to Americans by importing fentanyl and other deadly and dangerous drugs into the United States.''
Nietor, the defense attorney, emailed CBS 8 the following statement:
"Mr. Salazar accepted personal responsibility for his actions to an extent not often seen in these circumstances. The federal sentencing guidelines are notoriously rigid and harsh. Even so, the court was able to depart slightly downward in recognition of some of the compelling and mitigating circumstances about this case and, more importantly, about Mr. Salazar as a person."
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