A 38-year-old Las Vegas man was sentenced yesterday to more than 14 years in federal prison for his role in a large drug trafficking ring that shipped thousands of pounds of methamphetamine from Las Vegas to Honolulu over a two-year period.

Hector Cruz was given the 175-month prison term by U.S. District Judge Michael Seabright on Tuesday. Cruz was the last of 15 defendants to be sentenced in connection with the ring.

Cruz pleaded guilty in May 2008 to selling one pound of methamphetamine to an undercover police officer for $25,000 in March 2007. Cruz and a co-defendant met the officer in the parking lot of the 24 Hour Fitness in Mililani to set up the deal and completed the arrangement in the parking lot of the Zippy's restaurant in Wahiawa, according to court documents.

In exchange for his guilty plea, federal prosecutors agreed to drop six other drug charges against Cruz. He faced a possible sentence of 10 years to life in prison.

Cruz was one of seven men and women who were indicted by a federal grand jury on May 31, 2007, on 10 counts of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. In all, federal prosecutors said 15 people were involved in the drug ring that operated from March 2005 to June 2007 and all have been convicted and sentenced.

Prosecutors said Nelson Gaitan-Ayala, 46, was the ringleader of the organization. Gaitan-Ayala was found guilty in October 2008 and was sentenced by Seabright to 22 years in prison.

Gaitan-Ayala, a former Las Vegas resident, and members of his family recruited O'ahu residents to distribute the drugs and collect the proceeds, prosecutors said. The drug ring shipped "thousands of pounds of methamphetamine" from Las Vegas to Hawai'i over a two-year period using air parcel services, prosecutors said.

Other major players in the drug trafficking ring included:

• John E. Ayala, 29, of Las Vegas, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

• Raychel Cabral, 28, of Honolulu, who received a 12-year sentence.

• Wilsonis Ayala-Villanueva, 34, of Las Vegas, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

The case was investigated by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the Honolulu Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Cushman prosecuted the cases.