Reno man who led 2018 drug operation sentenced to prison

A Reno man was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison and five years of supervised release after he was found guilty of leading a drug trafficking ring, according to a statement from the Justice Department.

Jose Valentin Mora, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and, in a separate case, one count of possessing a firearm as a felon, according to the statement.

Mora and 16 co-defendants trafficked large amounts of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin in and around Reno from January to June 2018, the statement said.

According to the U.S. attorney’s office for Nevada, law enforcement seized 12 pounds of methamphetamine from the drug ring.

“With the exception of one defendant who remains a fugitive, each of those co-defendants pleaded guilty and either has been sentenced or is awaiting imposition of sentence,” the statement said. “Mora’s co-defendants, whose guilty pleas correspond to the various roles they played in this drug conspiracy, face a maximum penalty of between four years and life in prison.”

Contact Alexis Egeland at aegeland@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexis_egeland on Twitter.