Six people were sentenced this week as a result of drug trafficking charges in a July 2013 case, U.S. Attorney Conner Eldrige said Thursday.

Documents filed in the case show the Drug Enforcement Administration in Fort Smith began investigating a drug trafficking organization in the Sebastian and Washington County areas in January 2011, a news release states.

Ivan Jiminez, Flor Ramirez, Jacinto Frias-Gonzales, Rebecca Cason, Victoria Ramos and Miguel Landeros-Estrada were identified by agents as being involved together in the distribution of methamphetamine.

Three controlled purchases of methamphetamine totaling approximately three ounces from the defendants were conducted by a cooperating source during the course of the investigation.

Officials said that on June 18, 2013, a cooperating source placed an order with Jiminez for two pounds of methamphetamine to be delivered to a location in Washington County. The source noted that Jiminez typically sent a driver with the methamphetamine sealed in a laundry detergent box.

DEA agents located a vehicle on June 20, 2013, that had been identified as the vehicle that would deliver methamphetmine to the Fayetteville area, and Arkansas State Trooper Eric Lee stopped the vehicle on Interstate 540 in Fayetteville.

Landeros-Estrada was identified as the driver and consented to a search of the vehicle. Inside, the detergent box was found containing a package of a substance that was confirmed to be 946.5 grams of methamphetamine.

Jiminez, 27, of Mexico was sentenced to 24 years and four months in prison without the possibility of parole, five years of supervised release and a $10,000 fine for one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine.

Jiminez was found to be the leader of the organization at sentencing and was responsible for the distribution of 59.2 kilograms of methamphetamine in Northwest Arkansas.

Cason, 25, of Fort Smith was sentenced to 20 years in prison without the possibility of parole, three years of supervised release and a $3,000 fine for one count of distribution of methamphetamine.

Frias-Gonzales, 32, of Mexico was sentenced to 17 years and two months in prison without the possibility of parole, three years of supervised release and a $3,000 fine for one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Ramos, 27, of Fort Smith was sentenced to eight years in prison without parole, three years of supervised release and $1,500 fine for one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Landeros-Estrada, 34, of Mexico was sentenced to six years and six months in prison without parole, three years of supervised release and a $1,500 fine for one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

Ramirez, 25, of Mexico was sentenced to three years and one month in prison without the possibility of parole, three years of supervised release and a $1,000 fine for one count of distribution of methamphetamine.