SAN DIEGO (Border Report) -- Keith Octavio Rodriguez Padilla, referred to as "a prolific firearm trafficker" by authorities, was sentenced in a San Diego federal courtroom this week to almost 20 years in prison. Rodriguez, 39, is said to have been the Sinaloa cartel's main purveyor of weapons and ammunition since 2020. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego, Rodriguez's conviction is part of a long-running investigation targeting the Valenzuela Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO), which was a significant component of the Sinaloa cartel and believed to be one of the largest importers of cocaine into the United States. The Valenzuela TCO reportedly sourced cocaine and other controlled substances such as fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana from South America and Mexico. The organization is accused of transporting the drugs to multiple locations along the U.S.-Mexico border using commercial trucking companies, smuggling the drugs into the country and distributing them. It then smuggled the bulk cash proceeds from its drug trafficking activities back to the it’s leadership in Mexico. US in plea talks with Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada According to court records, throughout 2020, the Valenzuela TCO, including one of its leaders -- Jorge Alberto Valenzuela Valenzuela -- was engaged in violent conflict with another component of the Sinaloa cartel led by Ivan Archivaldo Guzman-Salazar. During this conflict, Jorge’s brother and previous TCO leader, Gabriel Valenzuela-Valenzuela, was killed. This led the Valenzuela TCO to procure large quantities of firearms, ammunition, tactical gear, armored vehicles, and ballistic vests. A considerable number of these items were sourced from within the United States and clandestinely smuggled into Mexico, using numerous arms trafficking networks, according to federal prosecutors. During the multi-year investigation, agents identified Rodriguez as a firearms and ammunition trafficker and broker for the TCO. He and his co-conspirators worked with high-ranking organization members to supply firearms to the TCO. These firearms reportedly ranged from .50 caliber rifles, submachine guns and grenade launchers to assault-style rifles and handguns. Texas, Arizona arming Mexican drug cartels In addition to the weapons, Rodriguez and his co-conspirators supplied tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition. Some of these weapons and ammo were acquired in the United States, including from California, Arizona and Nevada, and then smuggled through the ports of entry in San Diego and Arizona to Mexico. To date, this investigation has resulted in charges against 109 defendants and the seizure of approximately 2,000 kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl, more than $16 million in cash, and 21,000 rounds of ammunition. Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the U.S.-Mexico border “Guns and ammunition smuggled into Mexico support cartels and empower drug traffickers,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said. “This case continues to deal blow after blow to that infrastructure, sending a clear message: DOJ will prosecute every angle of cartel operations – from drug importation to money laundering to arms trafficking – to combat death and destruction on both sides of the border.” Padilla was a resident of Rialto, California in San Bernardino County, located east of Los Angeles.