Fruitland man pleads guilty to meth trafficking

FARMINGTON — George Begay pleaded guilty today in federal court to a methamphetamine trafficking charge, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.

Begay, 47, of Fruitland, was one of eight men arrested in May by local and federal authorities in connection to a meth trafficking organization allegedly operated by three Mexican nationals on the Navajo reservation.

The organization, which police allege supplied 60 to 70 percent of the meth distributed in San Juan County, was dismantled after a two-year investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Region II Narcotics Task Force.

The organization's alleged ringleaders — Miguel Rangel-Arce, Rogelio Santiago Quiroa-Valdez and Luis Rangel-Arce — pleaded guilty last month to trafficking charges.

Begay allegedly distributed meth on April 29, 2014, in San Juan County, the release states.

He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for his trafficking conviction, the release states.

A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.