Attorney General Mayes Announces Prison Sentences in Three Major Drug Trafficking Cases
PHOENIX — Attorney General Kris Mayes today announced sentencing outcomes in three significant drug trafficking cases prosecuted by her office, underscoring the scale and danger of narcotics trafficking organizations operating in and through Arizona.
“These cases show the lengths drug traffickers will go to push deadly substances into our communities,” said Attorney General Mayes. “My office will continue to prosecute these cases aggressively, and we will continue working with our law enforcement partners across this state to hold traffickers accountable. I am incredibly grateful to our local law enforcement partners across the state for their excellent investigative work that led to these sentences.”
Case One: Chandler Man Sentenced for Trafficking Over 100,000 Carfentanil-Laced Pills
Julian Magana was sentenced on June 12, 2026, to 9.25 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of Sale or Transportation of Narcotic Drugs. He was also ordered to pay more than $7,000 in fines and to reimburse the Chandler Police Department $5,500 that officers had provided to a confidential informant during an undercover drug purchase.
In December 2025, a confidential informant working with the Chandler Police Department arranged to purchase 10,000 fentanyl pills from a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization. On December 12, 2025, Magana delivered the pills in exchange for $5,500 in cash; lab testing later confirmed the pills contained carfentanil.
Magana and the informant subsequently negotiated a far larger transaction — 100,000 pills — scheduled for December 17, 2025. When Magana arrived at the agreed-upon location carrying a duffel bag, officers moved in to arrest him. He attempted to hide the bag behind a bush before officers recovered it, discovering 23.8 pounds of carfentanil-laced pills inside, along with mail addressed to Magana.
Carfentanil is approximately 100 times more potent than fentanyl, 10,000 times more potent than morphine, and 5,000 times more potent than heroin. It was originally developed as a sedative for large animals such as elephants and rhinoceroses; just 2 milligrams is enough to kill approximately 50 people.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Brett George of the Drug and Racketeering Enforcement Section.
Case Two: Driver Sentenced for Transporting 238 Pounds of Methamphetamine on I-10
On January 16, 2026, officers with the Chandler Police Department stopped Bryan Fidel Crisoto-Cabrera for a traffic violation on the I-10, just north of Riggs Road. A police K9 alerted to the odor of illicit drugs in the vehicle, and a search revealed a hidden compartment on the underside of the car containing wrapped packages that tested positive for methamphetamine — a total of 238 pounds.
Crisoto-Cabrera later admitted he had driven the car back from Mexico earlier that day and assumed there were drugs inside. The quantity of methamphetamine was consistent with involvement by a Mexican drug trafficking organization; while the wholesale value of the seizure was roughly $238,000, broken down into street-level quantities it would have generated more than $1.5 million in profit.
On May 21, 2026, Crisoto-Cabrera was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison, ordered to pay more than $5,000 in fines and surcharges, and ordered to forfeit the vehicle used to transport the drugs.
This case was also prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Brett George of the Drug and Racketeering Enforcement Section.
Case Three: Phoenix Couple Sentenced After Children Found Alone in Home Used for Drug Sales
On August 13, 2025, detectives with the Department of Public Safety were monitoring a Phoenix home where Gilbert Borquez and Erika Acosta lived with three children — their 12-year-old, and two younger children, ages three and four. Detectives observed Borquez leave the home carrying a bag, and a subsequent traffic stop led to the recovery of just over half a pound of cocaine from his car, along with $1,200 in cash and two cell phones found on his person.
Officers then served a search warrant at the residence. Acosta was not home when the warrant began but arrived while officers were still on scene. During the search, the three minor children were found alone inside the house, which investigators determined was being used as a drug sale location. Marijuana, THC, fentanyl, and cocaine packaging were found throughout the home, along with seven guns and various ammunition and weapons accessories accessible throughout the residence.
Borquez was charged with drug sales offenses, misconduct involving weapons, and money laundering. Both Borquez and Acosta were charged with three counts of child abuse for knowingly placing the children in a drug sale location and exposing them to dangers they would not otherwise face.
Borquez pled guilty to possession of narcotic drugs for sale, child abuse, and misconduct involving weapons; he had two prior drug sales convictions and one prior conviction for misconduct involving weapons. Acosta pled guilty to child abuse.
On June 11, 2026, Borquez was sentenced to 8.75 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $5,000 in fines. Acosta was placed on two years of supervised probation.
A copy of the presentation from today's press conference is available.