LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Three Las Vegas members of the Money Makin' Moves street gang are being sentenced to time in prison for trafficking and selling thousands of fentanyl pills in the valley. That's according to new information released by the Justice Department on Wednesday.
According to court documents, 21-year-old Giovani Barboza and 24-year-old Jordan Villalobos sold approximately 3,000 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl on Sept. 15, 2021. The pair are accused of selling another 2,000 pills on Sept. 29, 2021. Investigators state 21-year-old Francisco Ramirez-Sorto also sold pills on separate occasions.
The Justice Department states law enforcement searched a home the three shared on Oct. 15, 2021. During that search, they found nine firearms, over 200 rounds of ammunition, clear plastic bags containing various counterfeit pills, and thousands of other pills that had fentanyl in them.
In March 2023, court records show all three pleaded guilty to drug distribution and firearm charges. On Aug. 14, Ramirez-Sorto was sentenced to five years in prison. Barboza and Villalobos were sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday.
Law enforcement is continuing to warn about a spike in fentanyl pills making their way across Southern Nevada. They add some drug traffickers are also cutting pills with a horse tranquilizer called xylazine. According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, they've seized 136 pounds of fentanyl just this year.
