A meth trafficker was sentenced this week to 20 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
Robert Aristotle Pandolfi, a 51-year-old California man living in Texas, pleaded guilty in July to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk.
According to plea papers, on March 11, 2021, a sheriff’s deputy in Amarillo stopped a vehicle in which Mr. Pandolfi was a passenger. A drug detection canine alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle after a free air sniff. Deputies searched the car and located ten bundles of methamphetamine in the car’s spare tire compartment.
In an interview, Mr. Pandolfi – a confirmed member of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang – admitted to buying drugs in California and trafficking them across state lines. He told officers that he had made at least five prior trips to transport methamphetamine.
“One of our major investigative efforts is to target individuals and criminal enterprises that peddle illicit narcotics that propel violence and threaten the vitality of the communities in which we live,” said HSI Dallas Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robert Melton of the Oklahoma/Texas Panhandle Division. “Through our trusted partnerships with local, state and federal law enforcement, we will deploy every available resource to dismantle these organizations, ensuring those involved in pushing these addicting drugs are brought to justice. The conclusion of this case and subsequent sentencing is a direct correlation of the impact of our strength when our law enforcement partners work together.”
The defendant has also been charged by the state of Kentucky with possession of a controlled substance, tampering with physical evidence, drug paraphernalia, speeding, and reckless driving. At Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, Judge Kacsmaryk ruled that Mr. Pandolfi’s federal sentence would run consecutive to any sentence imposed in that case. (In the state case, Mr. Pandolfi is presumed innocent until proven guilty.)
Homeland Security Investigations and the Potter County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Pinkham prosecuted the Northern District of Texas case.
