KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Mexican National was sentenced in federal court today for possessing more than 56 pounds of methamphetamine.

Pedro Alberto Quiroz Ayala, 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to 11 years in prison without parole for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

On Sept. 3, 2024, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper pulled over a gray 2011 Acura MDX on Interstate 29, near the N.W. 112^th Street exit in Kansas City, Mo. Ayala, who did not have a valid driver's license, was driving the Acura, with a female juvenile in the front passenger seat and other adults in the back seat.

When the trooper searched the vehicle, he found a large duffle bag in the third-row seating area that contained approximately 55.6 pounds of methamphetamine. He also found a grocery bag that contained approximately one pound of methamphetamine on the floorboard where the female juvenile had been sitting, and a loaded firearm in the driver's door pouch.

When the four occupants got out of the vehicle for the search, Ayala fled on foot. A manhunt ensued and he was apprehended a short time later.

Ayala told investigators that he drove to Omaha, Neb., to pick up drugs and that he was going to receive approximately $2,000 for his help in transporting the drugs.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Jackson County Drug Task Force, Kansas City, Missouri Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Operation Take Back America

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.