Downey Couple in Cocaine Case Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison
A Downey man and his wife have been sentenced to three years in state prison for possessing more than $6 million of cocaine.
Juan Aguilar, 27, and his wife, Rosa, 30, were sentenced Monday by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William Pounders after pleading guilty in a plea bargain. The remaining charges against the couple, which included possessing more than 100 bales of marijuana, were dismissed, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Janet S. Fox.
Defense attorneys Richard Gomez and Joseph Gutierrez unsuccessfully argued for leniency, saying the couple were forced into being “custodians” for Mexican drug dealers who were owed money by a relative of Rosa Aguilar.
The couple were arrested in June after an informant led sheriff’s deputies to the couple’s rented home at 10254 Priscilla St. in Downey. A safe was found containing 22 pounds of cocaine, $24,000 cash and about $20,000 worth of jewels, Fox said.
In the garage were more than 100 bales of marijuana, weighing about 2,700 pounds, Fox said. In the couple’s bedroom, investigators found one pistol, two shotguns and two rifles.
Fox said prosecutors decided against trying the couple on additional charges because they did not want to reveal an informant’s identity.
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