KC Reporter

An Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, man has pleaded guilty to his role in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine after law enforcement officers seized more than $1 million worth of cocaine from a rental truck that was stopped on Interstate 70 in Lafayette County, Mo.

"Luis Gerardo Nieto-Acosta, 37, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Monday, April 29, to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, one count of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime."

Nieto-Acosta was the fourth and final defendant to plead guilty in this case, with co-defendants Wilmer Antony Mendoza-Perez, Miguel Angel Anguiano-Viera, and Jose Eduardo Acosta-Bermejo also admitting to their roles in the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

The events unfolded when "an officer with the Missouri State Highway Patrol stopped Mendoza-Perez on Jan. 24, 2023, as he was driving a Penske rental truck eastbound on Interstate 70 in Lafayette County." The officer discovered "two boxes that contained a total of 34 kilograms of cocaine" in the truck, valued at over $1 million.

Following the traffic stop, Mendoza-Perez was arrested, and the Toyota Highlander that was accompanying the truck was found abandoned at a nearby truck stop, later revealing "two Taurus 9mm semi-automatic handguns, with four magazines and 9mm ammunition."

Investigators were able to trace the movements of the suspects through surveillance video, leading to the apprehension of Nieto-Acosta and Acosta-Bermejo. The case involved a coordinated effort by various law enforcement agencies, including the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas City Airport Police, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Nieto-Acosta now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, with the possibility of a life sentence. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors, with a hearing to be scheduled after a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert M. Smith and John C. Constance, reflecting the serious nature of the charges and the collaborative efforts of law enforcement in combating drug trafficking.