Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Paducah, KY – A federal criminal complaint and arrest warrant were issued this week charging two illegal aliens with aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. One of the defendants was also charged with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge A.J. Gibes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations Nashville, Sam Olson, Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Chicago, U.S. Immigration Customs, and Chief Jason Newby of the Hopkinsville Police Department made the announcement.
According to court records, on August 28, 2024, a search warrant was executed at a residence in Hopkinsville where Carlos Daniel Davalillo-Silva, 26, and Paola Alexandra Rodriguez, 32, both citizens of Venezuela, had been staying. The search yielded approximately 3 pounds of methamphetamine that the pair intended to distribute. Rodriguez was also found to be in possession of two firearms. Silva and Rodriguez were charged with aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Rodriguez was also charged with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
Homeland Security Investigations verified that Silva and Rodriguez are Venezuelan and entered the United States illegally.
The defendants are in state custody and will make initial court appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky at a later date. If convicted, they each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is being investigated by the DEA – Paducah Post of Duty, the ATF – Bowling Green Post of Duty, HSI, ICE/ERO, and the Hopkinsville Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Leigh Ann Dycus, of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office, is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###