PITTSBURGH
A Phoenix man has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for his role in a large-scale drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing millions of fentanyl pills, methamphetamine and cocaine across the United States, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Carlos Zamora, 30, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced to 420 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, according to U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti.
U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentence after Zamora was convicted by a federal jury following a two-and-a-half-week trial in September 2025.
Prosecutors said Zamora was a significant participant in the Phoenix-based Monarrez Drug Trafficking Organization, a transnational criminal organization that distributed millions of fentanyl pills, hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and dozens of kilograms of cocaine between August 2021 and June 2023.
Quick Facts
- Defendant: Carlos Zamora
- Age: 30
- Residence: Phoenix, Arizona
- Sentence: 420 months (35 years) federal prison
- Supervised Release: 5 years
- Judge: J. Nicholas Ranjan
- Prosecutor: U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti
- Organization: Monarrez Drug Trafficking Organization
- Charges: Drug trafficking conspiracy, narcotics distribution
- Drugs Involved: Fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine
- Time Frame: August 2021 – June 2023
- Defendants Charged: 35
- Defendants Sentenced: 33
- Major Seizures:
- 55 kilograms of fentanyl pills
- 7.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder
- 48 kilograms of methamphetamine
- 3 kilograms of cocaine
- 20 firearms
- $387,000 cash
Federal authorities alleged the organization supplied narcotics to a network of dealers who redistributed the drugs throughout the country, including western Pennsylvania.
According to trial evidence, federal wiretaps captured Zamora obtaining hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills and multiple kilograms of fentanyl powder for redistribution.
Investigators also presented evidence from several major seizures connected to the case.
During the execution of a search warrant on Jan. 11, 2023, law enforcement officers seized 27 kilograms of fentanyl pills, multiple firearms and approximately $387,000 in cash from the Seattle apartment of co-defendant Bryce Hill.
Authorities also introduced evidence of an intercepted Jan. 9, 2023, phone call in which Zamora allegedly discussed a drive-by shooting in Phoenix with one of the organization’s leaders.
In a separate seizure on Dec. 25, 2022, investigators recovered 28 kilograms of fentanyl pills, 7.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, three kilograms of cocaine, 48 kilograms of methamphetamine and 20 firearms from a short-term rental property in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Hill was sentenced in February 2026 to 35 years in federal prison. Zamora is the 33rd defendant sentenced in the case, which involved 35 defendants charged in a second superseding indictment unsealed in January 2024.
Federal authorities described the prosecution as part of a Homeland Security Task Force effort targeting transnational criminal organizations involved in narcotics trafficking and money laundering operations.
Jurors heard evidence that Zamora fired more than three dozen shots during a Jan. 8, 2023, drive-by shooting in Phoenix, striking a man who was not the intended target. Investigators matched shell casings recovered at the scene to a Glock switch-equipped semiautomatic rifle seized from Zamora’s residence days later.
Prosecutors said Zamora served as both an enforcer and drug distributor for the organization, handling approximately 29 kilograms of fentanyl and 82.5 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Zamora previously served prison terms for armed robbery and aggravated assault on a correctional employee. He is also among 10 individuals indicted in July 2025 on allegations of participating in a racketeering conspiracy involving the bribery of prison employees to smuggle contraband into Cambria County Prison.