A South Gate man is set to be sentenced Wednesday for running a drug trafficking ring that imported narcotics from Mexico and used modified BMWs with hidden compartments to distribute the dope throughout the country.

Joel Antonio Villegas, 37, pleaded guilty last year in downtown Los Angeles to one federal count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He faces a life prison sentence.

Prosecutors said Villegas was the orchestrator of the trafficking ring, and he would pick up the drugs and arrange sales to customers or co-conspirators. He would order associates to purchase cars, including BMWs, and install hidden trap compartments in them to conceal and transport drugs such as cocaine, heroin, mariju

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