Man in pharmacy scheme released to immigration officials

SALT LAKE CITY — A man indicted in an illegal online pharmacy scheme was ordered Tuesday to be remanded into the custody of immigration officials.

Edgar Flores-Cuevas, 36, was facing a prison term of 18 to 24 months on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was sentenced to the 20 months he had already served. U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball also imposed a supervised release term of 36 months.

Flores-Cuevas was one of 18 people named in a nine-count indictment in October 2008 that alleged the group ran an online pharmacy scheme, which prosecutors contend involved illegally importing and selling drugs.

Prosecutors say those running the operation were able to distribute more than 11 million pills, making millions of dollars in the process, from 2003 until the scheme was discovered in 2008.

Flores-Cuevas was indicted on two counts of conspiracy to import the drug Phentermine, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to commit money laundering charge in November.

Flores-Cuevas was caught and detained when he was crossing the Mexican border, IRS officials said. His case was the first of the 18 to be adjudicated.

— Emiley Morgan