BOISE — Hector Ojeda Manuel Aponte, a 44-year-old Honduran national suspected of being unlawfully in the U.S., was sentenced Thursday to 262 months in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott announced.
Court records reveal Aponte distributed roughly 40 pounds of meth every one to two weeks, along with fentanyl pills and bath salts. He operated multiple vehicles for transporting drugs, maintained stash houses, and used business fronts to launder illegal proceeds. Sources identified Aponte as the top Sinaloa Cartel operative in Idaho, managing a well-organized supply chain and a network of accomplices.
Aponte is the sixth and final defendant sentenced following a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Nampa Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit. Previous sentences include Ernesto Diaz Gaspar (30 months), Wilkin Rolando Martinez Munguia (36 months), Cevin Alfonzo Martinez (42 months), Jesus DeJesus Loera (70 months), and Lawrence Barnes (160 months). Barnes and Loera are U.S. citizens, while others were unlawfully present in the country.
Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott emphasized the Justice Department’s dedication to combating drug cartels and holding them accountable for trafficking deadly narcotics in Idaho through collaboration with federal, state, and local law enforcement.
