A California man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking group that operated in Baltimore, according to the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Office. 

In 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began investigating a group in Baltimore that was selling large amounts of cocaine, according to court documents. 

Investigators determined that Mario Valencia-Birruetta, 35, of Corning, California, was a member of the group. He was placed on a flight watch list, court records show.  

Drug trafficking investigation 

In August 2023, a commercial airline notified investigators that Valencia-Birruetta was flying to Baltimore. On Aug. 15, 2023, investigators began tracking his movements as he stayed at a Hamilton Residence hotel in Baltimore, according to court records. 

Between Aug. 15 and Aug. 24, investigators watched as Valencia-Birruetta met with multiple drug traffickers. According to court documents, they arrived at the hotel with bags. 

In one case, investigators saw Valencia-Birruetta carrying large amounts of money in his hand. He went to the bank and appeared to make a deposit, court documents show. 

On Aug. 24, 2023, Valencia-Birruetta left Baltimore. A week later, investigators were notified that he planned to travel back to Baltimore, according to court documents. 

On Aug. 30, 2023, investigators watched as Valencia-Birruetta arrived at BWI Airport, picked up a rental car and drove to the Hamilton Residence hotel, court documents show. 

At the same time, another group of investigators was surveilling a stash house in Baltimore County where co-conspirators were seen carrying bags into the location. 

Investigators learned that a co-conspirator had picked up Valencia-Birruetta from the hotel and traveled to National Harbor, Maryland, where they met another co-conspirator. After the meeting, Valencia-Birruetta and the co-conspirator drove back to the stash house, court documents show. 

When Valencia-Birruetta and the co-conspirator got out of the vehicle and removed duffel bags, investigators approached and saw that one of the bags had a large hole. 

According to court documents, the investigators were able to see kilogram packages of drugs in the bag. 

Officials detained Valencia-Birruetta and the co-conspirator and seized the bags. They recovered 43 kilogram packages of cocaine and discovered another bag inside the stash house that contained 32 kilogram packages of cocaine, according to court documents. 

Investigators also recovered bags of marijuana, three firearms and equipment to process large amounts of drugs, court documents show.Â