Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

9th defendant sentenced in Las Vegas drug trafficking ring

A Henderson man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.

Brian Scarborough, 47, pleaded guilty in September 2022 to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Judge Andrew P. Gordon sentenced Scarborough on Wednesday to 65 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

For an unknown amount of time leading up to late April 2019, Scarborough conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine in the Las Vegas area, the attorney’s office said.

Scarborough worked with Miriam Elizabeth Suarez-Contreras, a Mexican national known as “Ella” or “Liz,” who was an organizer of the criminal conspiracy and would receive orders for methamphetamine over the telephone while she lived in California, then dispatch drug couriers to deliver it in Las Vegas.

After Scarborough had ordered methamphetamine from Suarez-Contreras in April 2019, the FBI searched a hotel room belonging to him and discovered about 130 grams of methamphetamine and a handgun, the attorney’s office said.

Scarborough is the ninth defendant involved in the conspiracy to be sentenced to prison. 

Suarez-Contreras was sentenced to 135 months in prison; Roberto Blancas-Mata, Rahdsma Henderson and Stephen Lloyd — all from Las Vegas — were sentenced to 12 months, 41 months and time served, respectively. Doug Stumpf of Henderson was sentenced to 46 months; Renea Barnes and Jose Guillermo Tello-Albarran of Las Vegas were sentenced to 48 months and time served, respectively. Quentin Armstrong of Sandy Valley was sentenced to 90 months, and Charles Parr of Salt Lake City, Utah, awaits sentencing.

The case was investigated by the Safe Streets Gang Task Force, Metro Police and North Las Vegas Police, and was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanee Smith is prosecuting the case, the attorney’s office said.