Eight sentenced for roles in South Florida crystal meth distribution ring

FLORIDA – Eight people have been sentenced for their roles in a crystal methamphetamine distribution ring in South Florida.

U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks sentenced Rudy Salinas, 31, of Rancho Bucamanca, California, to over nine years in federal prison. Salinas is the last of eight defendants involved in the distribution conspiracy to be sentenced.

During prior hearings, Judge Middlebrooks sentenced Salinas’s seven Florida co-conspirators to the following federal prison sentences:

• Alexander McKay, 37, of West Palm Beach, Fla., eight years
• Daniel Armstrong, 39, of Oakland Park, Fla., six- and one-half years
• Stacy Boyd, 49, of Lake Worth Beach, Fla., five years
• Ryan Haughey, 37, of West Palm Beach, Fla., four years
• Billy Rigney, 35, of West Palm Beach, Fla., four years
• Nikoli Moore, 30, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., two- and one-half years
• Christopher Vega, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., five years on this offense, plus one year for violating his supervised release in a separate drug case

The eight defendants pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute crystal methamphetamine throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties from April to November 2022.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Salinas served as the primary source of supply. He distributed multi-pound quantities of crystal methamphetamine to Armstrong and McKay, who, in turn, distributed it to Boyd, Vega, Haughey, Rigney, and Moore for further distribution across South Florida. Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized over five kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from the defendants.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, announced the sentence imposed by Judge Middlebrooks.

DEA Miami Field Division, West Palm Beach District Office investigated the case, with assistance from West Palm Beach Police Department, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Broward County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Boynton Beach Police Department, Miami-Dade Police Department, and Margate Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Ralston prosecuted it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 22-cr-80176.