KEY PLAYER PLEADS GUILTY IN METH RING

Jose Avila Rubio, 27, of Pasco, Washington, also known as Poncho, pled guilty yesterday afternoon in federal court in Coeur d’Alene to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Rubio admitted to U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge that he repeatedly sold 500 grams or more of methamphetamine to various people, primarily in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley.

Rubio is not a U.S. citizen. He faces sentencing November 5. The minimum penalty for his offense is 10 years in federal prison; the maximum penalty is life.

Rubio is not a U.S. citizen. He faces sentencing November 5. The minimum penalty for his offense is 10 years in federal prison; the maximum penalty is life.

Rubio and 15 other people were charged by a federal grand jury in September 2006. Of those 15, only one is outstanding. Defendant Arnold Wayne Mendenhall if a fugitive and there is a warrant for his arrest. Anyone with information about him is asked to contact the FBI.

One of the other defendants, Estevan Juan Mendoza, 23, of Pasco, also known as Tummy, pled guilty yesterday to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The penalty for this offense is a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life. Mendoza admitted possessing approximately 125 grams of pure methamphetamine and intending to deliver it.

Mendoza is a U.S. citizen. Sentencing is set for November 5.

The case was investigated by the Quad Cities Drug Task Force and the FBI.