While in prison, MS-13 gang leader trafficked fentanyl from California to Florida using the U.S. Postal Service; sentenced
Florida – A South Florida federal judge has sentenced an MS-13 gang member to more than 17 years in prison for running a huge fentanyl trafficking operation—partly while detained, in what appears to be a clear proof that prison walls are not always sufficient to stop criminal operations.
From a district judge in Fort Lauderdale, Mario Clifford Rivera, also known by his nickname “Chuky,” was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison. A verified MS-13 member at 32 years old, Rivera oversaw a complex plot spreading fentanyl throughout several states. His business had far-reaching consequences from Mexico through California and finally to Florida, underlining the broad range of his illicit activities.
The scheme dates back to at least 2022 when Rivera began coordinating the smuggling of fentanyl across the U.S.-Mexico border. Once over the wall, the drugs were sent from California to Florida using the U.S. Postal Service; Rivera managed their distribution there via a network of dealers. His power inside MS-13 was so strong that even state prison sentence could not halt his criminal oversight.
Rivera freely kept his drug business in early 2023 while waiting for unrelated state crimes—charges including weapon possession, aggravated assault, and throwing a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle—to send him to prison. While he was serving a three-year state sentence, Rivera kept running his fentanyl ring with both prison-issued phones and a smuggled mobile phone, telling dealers on drug pricing, distribution plans, and money management to make sure his profit share kept coming in.
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Prosecutors said Rivera directly distributed more than three kilograms of fentanyl, a quantity that could cause serious harm to many communities. His guilty plea to federal drug trafficking charges brought a significant moment of accountability. Rivera’s 17-year federal sentence will begin only after his ongoing state imprisonment ends, so signifying a long term of detention.
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After Rivera’s sentencing, U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne delivered a stern warning underlining that justice will unceasingly chase traffickers and gang leaders. Rivera’s sentence, he said, should be obvious to MS-13 and other criminal groups aiming to spread lethal drugs like fentanyl: law enforcement will destroy their operations whether run openly on the streets or behind bars.
Led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rinku Tribuiani, the prosecution is part of a larger national campaign called “Operation Take Back America.” To fight transnational criminal organizations and cartel operations forcefully, this program combines several enforcement tactics including the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Rivera’s imprisonment therefore marks a major blow against the complex systems infecting American communities with deadly narcotics.
