EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A federal jury convicted an El Paso man on three charges connected to fentanyl trafficking, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas announced.
Charles Arellano, 45, was under investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration as an alleged fentanyl dealer, according to court documents and trial evidence.
During a fentanyl transaction in January 2025, prosecutors said Arellano claimed he had connections to multiple drug cartels and had been involved in drug trafficking for a long time.
Authorities said Arellano fled to Mexico in early 2025.
Mexican authorities apprehended him in June 2025 and returned him to the United States to face prosecution.
Arellano was indicted in July 2025 alongside co-defendant Yvonne Beltran-Leyva.
Beltran-Leyva pleaded guilty in October 2025 and was sentenced in April to 108 months, or nine years, in federal prison for her role in the fentanyl trafficking conspiracy.
A sentencing date has not been set for Arellano.
He faces a possible sentence of five to 40 years in federal prison.
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