Attorney General Miyares Announces Ceasefire Drug Trafficking Conviction 

~ Francisco Celedon was sentenced to 13 years in prison for intending to distribute six kilograms of cocaine in Chesterfield County ~

RICHMOND, Va. – Attorney General Jason Miyares announced today that a Mexican citizen was sentenced to 13 years in prison for possessing with the intent to distribute over six kilograms of cocaine in Chesterfield County.

On April 17, 2023, Francisco Celedon, 47, met with a law enforcement confidential informant to deliver 6.053 kilograms of cocaine. Celedon was a drug courier for a Mexican drug trafficking organization. Upon arriving to the agreed-upon location outside a restaurant in Chesterfield County, Celedon met the informant, showed him the kilograms of cocaine in his vehicle, and discussed the exchange of money. Law enforcement then moved in and arrested Celedon. At the time of the offense, Celedon was on federal supervised release for a prior federal drug trafficking crime in the Middle District of Alabama.   

Celedon was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the possession with the intent to distribute charge and 3 years in prison for violations of his federal supervised release stemming from his prior conviction.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jason Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; and Colonel Jeffrey S. Katz, Chesterfield County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert and Shea Gibbons and Ceasefire Virginia Assistant Attorney General/Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Hubbard prosecuted the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. 

Launched by Attorney General Miyares in October 2022, Operation Ceasefire is a proven approach to address gun and gang violence by focusing on prosecuting the repeat, violent offenders committing the majority of crimes. Operation Ceasefire utilizes cross designated Special Assistant United States Attorneys who focus on prosecuting these repeat offenders and ensuring they receive the maximum punishment, as well as promoting group violence intervention strategies and working with local communities to reduce and prevent violent gun and gang crimes. 

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