DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
District of Idaho

For Immediate Release

Thursday, August 9, 2018
Bart M. Davis
, United States Attorney
Contact: Cassie Fulghum

Drug Dealer Who Shot At Police Officer Sentenced

Shooter Sentenced to 147 months; Co-Defendants Sentenced to 106 Months

BOISE – Arcenio Sosa-Solorio, 27, of California, was sentenced today by United States

District Judge Edward J. Lodge to 147 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the crimes of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and distribution of marijuana, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced.

 

His co-defendant, Bonifacio Carlos-Tafolla, 24, also of California, was sentenced to 106 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the same crimes.

 

According to court records, both men traveled from California to Idaho to distribute 25

pounds of marijuana to an undercover police officer. On December 2, 2017, Carlos-Tafolla and Sosa-Solorio arrived in Twin Falls, Idaho, and met with the undercover officer in an empty parking lot. After the undercover officer signaled, other officers attempted to arrest the men.

 

Carlos-Tafolla and Sosa-Solorio, both armed with handguns, fled from officers. Sosa-Solorio brandished a pistol as he fled. When the undercover officer threw Sosa-Solorio to the ground, Sosa-Solorio fired his handgun, nearly striking the officer. The officer knocked the gun out of Sosa-Solorio’s hands and arrested him. Officers found Carlos-Tafolla nearby. He said that he threw his pistol on the ground. Investigators found his loaded .40 caliber pistol nearby. Officers also found both men had approximately 35 pounds of marijuana in their vehicle.

 

This case was investigated by the Idaho State Police, the Twin Falls Police Department,

and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and coordinated with the Office of the Twin Falls County Prosecuting Attorney, Grant P. Loebs.

 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

 

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Seattle Field Division