Editor's note: An earlier version of this story reported that Gabriel Rodgers trafficked around 550,000 kilograms drugs, but that figure as presented in court represents converted, not actual, drug weight. This story has been corrected to reflect the actual weight.
A Wyoming man found guilty of drug charges tied to taking a leadership position within a Mexican drug cartel to smuggle hundreds of thousands of kilograms of drugs was sentenced to 30 years in prison Monday in the Cheyenne-based federal court.
Gabriel Seth Rodgers, 26, was involved in facilitating the movement of an estimated 250 pounds of drugs including cocaine, fentanyl and meth across the United States, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney for Wyoming Seth Griswold.
He evaded justice for years, but was extradited from Mexico this year when found taking refuge there.
Griswold argued during the proceedings that figure had set a state record and amounted to “one of the most significant” drug cases in Wyoming history.
Rodgers faced a maximum penalty of life in prison, though prosecutors recommended he serve 35 years due to a plea deal he accepted. He entered the courtroom wearing a jumpsuit and shackles, and took ownership of his crimes.
Rodgers asked U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson for “mercy” during the hearing but also said, “I don’t deserve it.”
Members of Rodgers’ family sat in the front row of the court gallery, wearing black.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming Darin Smith also watched the hearing.
Johnson described the damage done by Rodgers’ crime as “incalculable,” but said he was “impressed” by his willingness to accept accountability. Johnson lamented, however, how drastic a turn Rodgers’ life had taken given that he had previously showed lenience toward Rodgers when overseeing a 2019 firearm theft case against him.
“I have never seen a path go further wrong than this one,” Johnson said.
Objections Denied
Rodgers fled to Mexico after violating his supervised release program from his firearm theft conviction.
Rodgers was sent back to jail for four months in August 2022 and released on a three-year supervised release deal.
Mexican authorities helped to root him out and return him to the U.S. this spring.
Rodgers’s attorney Mark Hardee began Monday’s hearing by objecting to two counts against him, one for sending threatening texts to undercover agents and another for importing drugs from Mexico.
Hardee argued that while Rodgers had used threatening language when texting with undercover agents to locate a confiscated shipment of drugs, he had done so due to being threatened by the cartel. He also argued the fact that most meth discovered in the U.S. originates from Mexico rather than domestic production, meant Rodgers should not be subject to an additional enhancement.
Griswold countered, saying Rodgers had used two phones and repeatedly changed his phone number to obscure the origin of his texts. He also argued that Rodgers was directly involved in bringing more than 50 pounds of meth into the U.S., meaning he could not be cleared of responsibility.
Johnson sided with Griswold, saying neither objection applied, adding that the case brought him to a place he had “never been before.”
The judge said he was surprised by Rodgers’ youth but acknowledged the defendant had brought a “significant quantity” of drugs into the country.
Hardee argued that Rodgers never attempted to minimalize his role in the drug trafficking and that a life sentence would be an “immense, monumental penalty” given his age. His sentence would be made harsh enough given the fact he would likely attend a facility with other prisoners who don’t “mind their own business.”
He called for Rodgers to receive 20 years in prison.
Rodgers then offered his own plea for mercy, during which he acknowledged having “no excuse” for his actions given his good upbringing and happy childhood. He agreed that had he focused him ambition into a trade or profession, the “world would be a different place.”
Judge’s Ruling
Johnson recalled having sentenced Rodgers in 2019 for stealing firearms from a pawn shop and said he had hoped that punishment would motivate him to turn around his life. Despite this, Johnson said he was shocked by how quickly “the wheels came off.”
Johnson also lamented the ongoing war on drugs, which he said the United States is losing.
Rodgers has no training or educational background and hasn’t held a stable job, the judge noted. He agreed a life sentence would be a harsh one for Rodgers but added, “I don’t know if he has a conscience.”
The judge then handed Rodgers a sentence of 360 months in prison followed by 10 years of probation. He also required him to pay $2,000 in restitution but acknowledged that Rodgers had no money with which to pay.
Johnson also required Rodgers to participate in cognitive behavioral therapy and vocational training and suggested he enroll in a drug abuse program. After Johnson left the courtroom, Rodgers turned to his family and said “I love you,” before he was escorted out by U.S. marshals.
Started In Gillette
Rodgers showed recent addresses in Sundance, Wyoming, and in Rapid City, South Dakota, before his 2018 arrest relating to a pawn shop heist of 32 firearms from 4T Pawn in Gillette.
The Gillette Police Department responded to the burglary June 30, 2018.
GPD and other agencies compiled evidence linking Rodgers to the multi-person heist. One of the burglars told police that Rodgers had a good connection with someone in Denver, Colorado, who would buy the stolen guns, says an evidentiary affidavit filed in the case.
Rodgers had sold about eight or nine guns for the burglar before, the latter said.
One “source of information” told investigators that Rodgers had sold numerous firearms to his cocaine source, whom the source described as “an overweight Hispanic Juvenile that may be 16 years old” named Xavier.
Xavier had announced that he’d murder people for $1,500, the affidavit relates from the source interview.
Rodgers was convicted in April 2019 for possessing stolen firearms and conspiring to distribute LSD and marijuana, says his federal court file.
Vanished In 2022
He was originally sentenced to 44 months in federal prison.
Later, when he broke a condition of his supervised release, he was sent back to jail for four months in August 2022, then obligated to a new three-year term of supervised release, the file says.
Rodgers “broke that benefit, evaded U.S. justice and moved to Culiacan to hide,” wrote Mexican news outlet El Diario this spring.
He didn’t report with the probation officer after his Dec. 4, 2022, release from the Scottsbluff County Detention Center, says a warrant affidavit in his court file.
“Attempts to locate the defendant have been made to no avail, and his current whereabouts are unknown,” the warrant affidavit adds.
The United States issued a warrant for Rodgers’ arrest on Dec. 8, 2022.
Jackson Walker can be reached at walker@cowboystatedaily.com.
