Reno drug-trafficking suspect arrested in Mexico, back in US
RENO, Nev. (AP) — A suspect in a Reno drug-trafficking case who fled to Mexico in 2014 has been arrested and is expected to be returned to Nevada to face drug and money-laundering charges involving more than 140 pounds of methamphetamine, federal officials said Thursday.
Nassrollah Behmard, 64, of Reno was indicted by a federal grand jury in Reno in June on eight criminal counts, including distribution of meth and conspiracy to launder money, the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office said.
He was arrested on a federal warrant in Mexico and was returned to Southern California where he made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court on Tuesday.
Behmard, who also is known as Michael Holt and “Benny,” fled to Mexico in 2014 to avoid being arrested for his involvement in Washoe County drug-trafficking case, federal prosecutors said.
Last March, the FBI learned he was still in Mexico and conspiring with others in Reno and Los Angeles to distribute multiple-pound quantities of meth.
From March to June 2022, he’s accused of distributing over 140 pounds of meth. The FBI said law officers intercepted 100 pounds of the meth and traced it back to a clandestine lab in the Los Angeles area, which authorities dismantled and seized about 1,000 pounds of the drug.
Four other suspects were arrested in July.
Behmard is expected to be extradited from California back to Reno to face the criminal charges in federal court, the U.S. attorney’s office said. His next court appearance is Dec. 27.
