Former WSU student sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on drug charges
A former Washington State University student was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Coeur d’Alene for possessing heroin and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
Hugo Acevedo, 34, was facing the possibility of life in prison after pleading guilty to the distribution charges in January. According to the criminal complaint, federal agents found almost 120 grams of methamphetamine and 50 grams of heroin in Acevedo’s car after searching it Aug. 14, 2015, in the parking lot of the Moscow Wal-Mart.
As part of a plea agreement, Acevedo pleaded guilty to the distribution charges in exchange for prosecutors agreeing not to press any further charges, despite the fact that they had at least five sources that could confirm Acevedo had made deliveries of several pounds of methamphetamine and large quantities of heroin on more than one occasion, according to court documents.
In addition to the prison sentence, Acevedo will also have five years of supervised probation after his release.
Acevedo’s defense attorney, Nicolas V. Vieth, argued that Acevedo should only be sentenced to the minimum of 10 years in prison due to the fact that he had struggled with alcohol and drug addiction since he was 12 years old and had recently “made advances towards turning his life around.”
Acevedo was working toward a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering science. John Schneider, associate dean of Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture at WSU, wrote a letter in Acevedo’s defense.
“I’m aware of many students who have been able to put a troubled past behind then and go on to being highly productive citizens” he wrote, adding he believes Acevedo is now on the proper path despite his charges and guilty pleas.
U.S. District Attorney Mike Mitchell, who prosecuted the case, asked Judge Edward Lodge to consider the fact that Acevedo was clearly a large-scale drug trafficker who had eluded law enforcement for years and that he was one of the “bigger businessmen” in the Pullman area.