An MS-13 gang member was sentenced to 17 years in Florida state prison for running a fentanyl distribution ring. The Justice Department stated that Mario Clifford Rivera, 32, pleaded guilty to drug charges and will serve his new sentence after serving another sentence for a separate felony.
“Rivera’s 17-year federal prison sentence should serve as a warning to MS-13 and other terrorist gangs that seek to flood our communities with lethal poisons like fentanyl. “Whether you operate on the streets or behind prison walls, we will identify your leaders and members, dismantle your networks, and hold you accountable with the full force of American law,” Hayden O’Byrne, the US attorney for South Florida, said in a statement.
How did Rivera run the ring?
According to authorities, the drugs were smuggled into California from Mexico and shipped from there to Florida via the United States Postal Service. Rivera oversaw drug sales and distribution from within a state prison in Doral, Florida.
Prosecutors claim Rivera used prison phones and contraband cellphones to tell outside dealers how to sell the drugs and how much to charge, all while ensuring he received a share of the profits.
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Between October 2024 and January 2025, US Postal Service investigators seized 2,632 pounds of methamphetamine, 3,885 pounds of cocaine, 1,301 pounds of fentanyl, and 25 pounds of heroin.
Prosecutors say Rivera distributed more than three kilograms (6.6 pounds) of fentanyl. The Drug Enforcement Agency estimates that one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people.
Rivera is a member of the MS-13 gang, which is considered a foreign terrorist organization under federal law. On February 20, Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated MS-13, Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel, and five other transnational criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations. The designation followed an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on his first day in office.
Are drugs shipped in the mail frequently?
According to authorities, illegal drugs are shipped through the mail every day. Between October 2024 and January 2025, Postal Service investigators seized 2,632 pounds of methamphetamine, 3,885 pounds of cocaine, 1,301 pounds of fentanyl, and 25 pounds of heroin. In fiscal year 2020, the USPS seized 124,000 pounds of illegal narcotics as well as $39 million in illicit proceeds.
Rivera started this distribution scheme while out on bond for another felony charge. He received a three-year prison sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm, throwing a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle, and aggravated assault.
