Ft. Apache Drug Dealer Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison

April 30, 2010 - PHOENIX—Leo Nachu, Jr., 31, of Whiteriver, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James A. Teilborg to 60 months in prison for possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. This offense occurred on the Ft. Apache Indian Reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona. He pleaded guilty on February 4, 2010.

On November 11, 2008, Nachu, a known gang member in Whiteriver, was engaged in a foot pursuit with law enforcement. He was carrying a backpack as he ran from law enforcement. Nachu threw the backpack and continued to run. A later search of that backpack revealed numerous plastic bags with drugs individually packaged for sale, a firearm with additional rounds of ammunition and a large amount of cash. His fingerprints were later found on some of those bags of drugs as well as the firearm.

The primary investigation in this case was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistance was also provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution was handled by Dimitra H. Sampson, U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.