HONDURAN DRUG DEALER, WIFE-BEATER, DRUNK DRIVER HAS BEEN DEPORTED EIGHT TIMES

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Honduran man who was arrested in Kansas City, Mo., for drunk driving was sentenced in federal court today for illegally reentering the United States after having been deported eight times.

Jose Salazar-Aguilar, 34, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to five years and eight months in federal prison without parole.

Kansas City, Mo., police officers arrested Salazar-Aguilar on Feb. 19, 2017, for driving under the influence of alcohol, resisting arrest, no insurance, and failure to carry a license. While incarcerated, record checks revealed that Salazar-Aguilar had been removed from the United States on numerous occasions. He was released on bond but apprehended by federal agents during a traffic stop on Feb. 27, 2017.

On May 2, 2018, Salazar-Aguilar pleaded guilty to unlawfully reentering the United States after removal for an aggravated felony.

This is Salazar-Aguilar’s second conviction for this offense. He was convicted of the same crime in federal court in Arizona on Feb. 22, 2012, and sentenced to 27 months. According to court documents, Salazar-Aguilar has been removed from the United States eight times, seven times after being convicted of the aggravated felony of delivery of heroin. Salazar-Aguilar was last removed from the United States on Aug. 8, 2013.

Additionally, according to court documents, Salazar-Aguilar’s history also includes assaultive behavior that endangers the public, such as his 2010 arrest for beating up his common-law wife.

Salazar-Aguilar has previously asserted his membership with the Norteno street gang, according to court documents, and has admitted to being a “drug mule.” Salazar-Aguilar also has prior felony convictions for delivery of a controlled substance (heroin) in Oregon, possession of a controlled substance in Colorado, and forgery in Arizona. Additionally, there are active warrants for his arrest from Salt Lake City, Utah, for distribution of a controlled substance; Phoenix, Ariz., for no valid license and traffic offenses; and Kansas City, Mo., for driving under the influence, resisting arrest, no insurance, and failure to carry a license.

This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberlee L. Moore. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

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